Bruce Goodison’s ‘Leave 2 Remain’ Brings Child Refugees’ Experiences To Life

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Writer and director BRUCE GOODISON speaks to Eoin Drinan about his debut film “Leave 2 remain”. Bruce says the story was inspired by children and teenagers who were displaced during the Afghanistan war. He heard that 3-4,000 of these children arrive in the UK each year seeking refuge. The film details some of the hardships that many of them encounter between leaving their country and trying to start new lives.

Bruce got to know some of these teenagers and asked about their experience of living in the UK. He later trained some of these teenagers in the art of film making. He says there were many bureaucratic difficulties encountered in trying to attain permission to work with the children.

They set up a film school which Bruce says helped them to grow in confidence. He says that he, too, learned a great deal while working with these young people. Some of the children took comfort in creating a film based on their own experiences, while others were unsettled by the process.

Bruce says making this film was the most important experience of his entire career. He committed four years to its creation, and says it was one of the most astonishing experiences of his life. He says he feels honoured to be allowed tell their story.

The film premiered at the London Film Festival. Audience feedback from the early screenings showed that up to 96% of the audience loved it.

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