Afterwards there will be a Q&A panel bringing together members two of Manchester Met’s research groups: Migration and Interdisciplinary Global Studies (MIGS), and Music and Sonic Studies Manchester (MASSmcr)alongside Akash Sharma from charity Breaking Barriers, which focuses on securing meaningful employment for refugees and helping them to rebuild their lives.

On a remote Scottish island, four asylum seekers – Syrian Omar, Farhad from Afghanistan, Wasef from Nigeria and Abedi from Ghana – wait for their claims to be decided. And wait, and wait. Barred from taking paid work, they fill their days by watching DVDs, attending wince-inducing “cultural awareness” sessions and arguing among themselves (will Wasef ever play for Chelsea? were Ross and Rachel really on a break?) Omar’s life is dominated by calls to his parents (exiles in Istanbul) and by his oud – a stringed instrument which he carries at all times but never feels able to play.

Remote Scottish islands were the settings for Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero and Powell and Pressburger’s I Know Where I’m Going. Limbo (which was shot and written on Uist) is darker in tone – happy endings are far from guaranteed – but has echoes of the sublime grandeur of those films’ setting, and touches of their bone-dry wit.

“A lot of the humour came from the fact that we’re always sharing the refugees’ perspective. Sadly, the way that Western countries receive and treat a lot of refugees is absurd and ridiculous.” – Ben Sharrock

Limbo will be introduced by Dr Benedicte Brahic, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Manchester Metropolitan University, who co-leads the university’s Migration Research Group. Benedicte will be joined for the Q&A by Susan O’Shea, who leads the university’s Sonic Studies Research Group and Akash Sharma from charity Breaking Barriers, who support refugees to access meaningful employment and build a new life.

Director: Ben Sharrock, Cast: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Kenneth Collard, Amir El-Masry, Year: 2020, Duration: 104 minutes, Language: English, Certificate: 12

This event is free for everyone

This screening is part of the Manchester International Crime and Justice Film Festival 2026.

This years festival is sponsored by the School of Sociology & Criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University and curated by the university’s Policy Evaluation and Research Unit.

Since 2019 we’ve had a consistent mission – screening great films which provoke debate and provide an alternative take on crime, justice and punishment in the 21^st century.

This year’s programme brings you an eclectic mix of international crime classics and lesser-known gems from a century of cinema, with settings ranging from the Scottish islands to the south of Chile. Our experts will be on hand to introduce the movies and to answer your questions at Q+A sessions after each screening. Selected screenings will also feature short films documenting creative projects delivered in prisons, in partnership between artist Faye Claridge, learners from each establishment and our partner Novus.