Accessibility information for Showroom Cinema can be found on our website and on AccessAble. If you have any questions regarding accessibility for the festival, please feel free to contact us at communties@srws.org.uk

Information on Accessibility at Showroom Cinema

(Running time: 38 mins)

Untold Stories Part 2 is a powerful documentary that delves into the experiences of the Somali community in Tower Hamlets. Among the earliest settlers were people from Somaliland, who arrived as seamen and soldiers through Somaliland's historic relationship with Britain. The film shares the stories of first and second-generation Somalis, exploring identity, belonging, resilience, and community. Featuring never before seen archival material and stunning visuals, Untold Stories Part 2 explores the rich history and lived experiences of a community that has rarely been documented on film.

About the filmmaker: Suher Sofi is a British Somali producer and director, and the founder of JanFirst Productions. Driven by a passion for amplifying diverse voices and stories, she works across TV, film, and theatre. She has produced multiple sold-out productions, presenting work at leading venues such as the National Theatre, Soho Theatre, Pleasance Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, and Birmingham Hippodrome. Alongside her theatre work, Suher has built television credits on programmes including The One Show, Educating Yorkshire, The Mother of all Cons, Amol Rajan Interviews, and Life & Death Row. In 2025, she made her documentary directorial debut with Untold Stories Part 2, which was selected for the African Film Festival Atlanta 2026.

(Running time: 14 mins)

Having moved to Sheffield from Somalia at 11, Najma feels like many migrants who straddle two worlds yet feel disconnected from both. She discovers a short storybook in the Sheffield Library written by Halima, a Somali woman who arrived in the UK in 1956. The information she finds creates a limited and fragmented, but deeply sombre, narrative. A Story Left Behind follows Najma as she tries to fill in the gaps in Halima's story, exploring the contradictions of what Halima recorded of her life and what she omitted. Through this process, Najma embarks on a journey of self-discovery, celebrating Sheffield's vibrant Somali community, while discussing the universal importance of archiving cultural history as an anchor for future generations.

About the filmmaker: Asma Kabadeh (she/her) is a Creative Producer and Filmmaker whose work bridges creative storytelling with community spacemaking in service of racial justice, land justice and archival justice. She is touring her directorial debut with ‘Sheeko Laga Tagay / A Story Left Behind’, a film which uncovers the fragmented stories of the first documented Somali woman in Sheffield and invites audiences to critically examine archival representations for Somali & wider diasporic communities and challenge the dominance of public records as the sole source of history in a roaming workshop setting.

(Running time: 3 mins)

This intimate film follows Safiya Saeed, Co-Founder of Reach Up Youth charity and the first Black Muslim woman to be appointed as Lord Mayor of Sheffield. Safiya is loved and well-known across Sheffield. This short film reveals the woman behind the political figure.

This film was made as part of Film Beyond Borders Film School, a collaboration between Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) and RAAH, which supports creatives from diaspora communities to develop filmmaking skills and share incredible stories through film and visual arts through training workshops, mentoring, peer support and co-production opportunities in the form of a summer school week followed by bespoke support to develop longer-term projects.