Belonging Documentary
A film directed by Aliya Surti, Elizabeth Kusimo and Muzaina Shah (2024 student film)
Belonging Documentary explores the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers and the role that language, education and community support can play in helping people rebuild their lives.
Leanne Mountford, an English-language teacher at Keele University, discusses her work teaching English and supporting people who have arrived in the UK with little or no knowledge of the language. She reflects on how learning English can help people become part of their communities, improve their quality of life and regain a sense of belonging.
The film also follows Yadegar Amini, a physiotherapy student at Keele University who came to the UK from Iran. He shares his experiences of arriving in Stoke as an asylum seeker, being unable to work or study initially, and volunteering with ASHA, where he supported other asylum seekers. Drawing on his own experience as a teacher in Iran, Yadegar describes how helping others allowed him to continue using his skills while becoming part of his new community.
The film was produced as part of Work Placement for Humanities Postgraduates – ENG 40057 and CPA4007 (Professional Practice), supervised by Dr Pawas Bisht.
““You see the real stories, you hear the real stories, you see the real people.””
Films produced by Keele University’s BA Media students examining the theme of ‘Workers’ in the context of the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the wider region of North Staffordshire. Examining the nature of modern work; different kinds of workers sharing why they do what they do, what motivates them, and the challenges of work in the current situation in the UK.The films foreground the agency and creativity of the residents of our local region providing a perspective largely absent from mainstream media.