After many months of planning and work we were delighted to showcase our new film “Identity”, commissioned by Cement Fields and Metal as part of the Thames Estuary Festival. The film focuses on the borough of Gravesham in North Kent and explores the idea of identity and how factors like race, faith, immigration, arts and sports can shape our own individual sense of self.

The film was written and produced by Gurvinder Sandher and Sonia Nayyar from Cohesion Plus and was filmed and directed by Santiago Pilgrim from 42 South Films.

The online premiere took place on May 26th as part of the Thames Estuary Festival and was attended by over 100 people online. There are plans for further in-person screenings as lockdown eases in Gravesham initially and then around Kent as part of Black History month.

The film underlines the diverse portfolio of work that Cohesion Plus has developed over the past few years from outdoor festivals, to online events, online chat show and production of new outdoor shows.

Gurvinder Sandher, Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus commented, “We are beyond proud to be able to present some of the diverse stories and voices that exist within Gravesham to explore the complex subject of identity. We wanted to pose the question around what people see when they look at each other particularly if you are a visible minority. We are so pleased that so many people attended the screening and we look forward to offering future screenings of the documentary in the summer. Special thanks go to Cement Fields and Metal who commissioned us to produce this important piece of work and to Arts Council England for their on-going help and support.”

Sonia Nayyar, Senior Project Officer at Cohesion Plus commented “I was delighted to get an opportunity to co-write and produce the film. It was a great experience made even more special by the support we received from the local community. It was a great responsibility to capture their stories and portray them on screen, I feel that we have managed to do that and the feedback to date has been positive.”