Asylum

Running time: 100 mins

Mahmoud and Rezhev are Kurds who have smuggled themselves out of Iraq into London, seeking political asylum in a land which promises them freedom and opportunities. They file their papers with the proper authorities and await their destiny. However, due to a bureaucratic snafu, their paperwork is lost. Sought by the police for deportation, they face the unenviable choice of hiding or turning themselves in to face certain torture and probable death back home.

When Rezhev is apprehended, he bolts into the first safe place he finds?a Catholic Church. Mahmoud quickly follows, and as the police enter the Church, the two fugitives plead their case to Father Michael, a compassionate priest who wants to do only the right thing. Father Michael comes to understand the plight of the two young men and offers them sanctuary. But as pressure builds to release the boys to the authorities, Father Michael must not only confront anger and resentment from the police, church officials, a restless mob and even his own congregation, but also the ever growing desperation of the two Kurds. And as the tension rises outside the Church, those inside must contend with their own convictions about trust, conscience, betrayal and faith.

Director Nigel Roffe-Barker presents a thought-provoking thriller that confronts religion, political freedom and civil disobedience. And Dai Bradley, as Father Michael, gives a truly memorable performance as a man struggling to trust his heart, no matter what the consequences may hold for him.

Sandy Wolf

Preceded by: Big Girl; dir. Renuka Jeyapalan; 14min.; Nine-year-old Josephine is resentful of her mother's love life. When Mom's new boyfriend catches Josephine's cold shoulder, a bittersweet battle of wills erupts.

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