For 14 years, Syrian filmmakers Hasan Kattan and Fadi Al-Halabi have journeyed together through war and storytelling. Their bond was forged on the frontlines of revolution where their cameras recorded terror and hope, laughter and heartbreak –
moments that defined a generation.
Years later, their story takes an unexpected turn. Confined inside a UK asylum hotel, Hasan and Fadi document a new chapter shaped not by bombs, but by waiting, bureaucracy, and exile. Amid rising anti-refugee hostility, they turn the camera inward, exploring friendship and displacement and how filming itself becomes an act of survival when the future is so uncertain.
Allies in Exile is directed by Hasan Kattan and co-directed by Fadi Al-Halabi. Produced by Orlando von Einsiedel and Grain Media, co-produced by Counterpoints Productions. Supported by the Displacement Film Fund. The film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2026.
To book your place at the Screening and Q&A, please use the following form link:
Allies in Exile: Screening with Q&A - Wednesday 4th November 2026, 7.30pm