Open Country is a new film by Amaal Said. The film follows a Somali mother and daughter who walk from their London home along the Old Kent Road, tracing the Pilgrims' Way into Bexley, North Kent and beyond. The daughter plans to record an audio cassette diary for her grandmother, who is back home in Somalia and in ill health. Hoping to ease her mother’s worries and lift her spirits, she uses the journey as a way to bring joy and to help her focus on the road ahead in the country they call home.
Shot at the Red House, a National Trust property and the former home of William Morris in Bexley, as well as locations in Canterbury and the Kent coast, the film is loosely inspired by The Canterbury Tales, and explores the tension between being present in the here and now and yearning for another place.
Three Rivers will be hosting a programme of screenings, tours and events at the Red House in Bexley:
- Event: Open Country by Amaal Said: Film Launch
Join us to celebrate the launch of a new film commission by Amaal Said at the Red House in Bexley.
2 October 2025, free to attend but booking required.
- Event: Open Country by Amaal Said and Historical Tours of the Red House
Experience Open Country by Amaal Said and the Red House, one of its filming locations and William Morris’ house.
3 October 2025, free to attend but booking required.
- Workshop: Between Here and There: Creative Writing Workshop with Amina Jama
A creative writing workshop and shared lunch for women, coming together to share histories of migration. Led by Amina Jama, responding to Amaal Said’s new film Open Country.
5 October 2025, free to attend but booking required.
