Journeys Festival International: 2025 Recap

Three days of immersive art installations, inspiring films, hilarious comedy, and powerful storytelling filled Leicester city centre for this year’s Journeys Festival International. We celebrated diversity, migration and the journeys that shape us—inviting audiences to listen, uncover new perspectives, and find connection in our shared humanity.

The festival launched at Leicester Cathedral on Thursday 9 October, welcoming festival participants, funders, and local supporters to preview what was to come. We heard from The Very Revd Karen Rooms, Dean of Leicester Cathedral and Saavan Tah from Arts Council England, who shared their reflections on the importance of this year’s theme. Artist Ferdous Hussein introduced Story Jars, explaining the inspiration behind her project, while Pif-Paf, creators of And… Breathe, guided guests through their immersive installation.

Friday kicked off with a panel discussion hosted by Shado Magazine and De Montfort University, exploring free speech and journalism in the 21st Century. Speakers included Erin Cobby and Hannah Robathan from Shado Magazine, poet Ambrose Musiywa, DMU student and researcher Ankara Clarke, and Dr. Hiu Man Chan, Senior Lecturer in Creative Industries (DMU). The panel offered thought-provoking insight into lived-experience storytelling, identity and representation, sparking an open and lively discussion followed by questions from the audience.

Later, laughter took centre stage at The Y Theatre for No Direction Home with Counterpoints Arts—a joyful and empowering comedy night featuring comedians Yasmeen Ghrawi, Alaa Shasheet, Victor Rios, and Leicester’s own compère Ishi Khan. The audience enjoyed clever crowd work, spontaneous dancing and deeply personal storytelling, for an evening of laughter and genuine connection.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Cinema hosted the first of our Journeys Film Programme screenings with Name Me Lawand, a moving documentary film following a young deaf boy’s journey from Iraq to Derbyshire. The film offered a powerful perspective on resilience and belonging, followed by an insightful Q&A with director Edward Lovelace.

Saturday brought another full day of creativity, storytelling, and connection. At the Festival Hub in the Haymarket Shopping Centre, Ferdous Hussein’s Story Jars invited adults and children to capture memories and dreams in small jars—from past homes and family holidays to hopes for the future.

Back at Leicester Cathedral, two stunning installations gave audiences time to reflect;

• Sirens: Songs of Sisterhood by Liminal Creative, created with the Leicester Polish Women’s Group Femina, transformed the Cathedral Gardens with soundscapes embedded in sculptural “rocks,” sharing stories of strength and sisterhood.
• And… Breathe by Pif-Paf, an immersive light and sound installation inside the Cathedral, offered a moment of calm reflection and remained open to visitors until 21 October.

The Journeys Film Programme continued with a sold-out screening of Flow, which followed a watercolour family portrait workshop run by KALA Arts in partnership with Cultural Quarter Earlies. Later in the evening, documentary film Fire at Sea was introduced by Mohammed Hassan Dable and After 18 UK, sharing lived experiences and highlighting the themes explored in the documentary.

As expected, Story Chefs by Maison Foo was a huge hit, with two packed performances bringing together families and food lovers of all ages. Audiences laughed, learned, and shared delicious dishes prepared in the Story Chefs Kitchen by the Creative Sanctuary Group. Guests even took home recipe cards to recreate their favourite flavours, a thoughtful and heart-warming finale to the show.

Sunday marked the final day of JFI 2025, closing the weekend with more Story Jars workshops at the Festival Hub and two final films from the Journeys Film Programme, Persepolis and Gagarine.

Before Gagarine, an introduction by Vinish Pomal, Senior Lecturer in Architecture at DMU, explored themes of social housing, urban renewal, and the human impact of redevelopment, offering rich context to the film’s story. It was a fitting end to a weekend dedicated to seeing the world through others’ eyes, and celebrating the power of creativity to connect us all.

Thank you to all the artists, partners, volunteers, and audiences who made this year’s festival possible. We can’t wait to continue these stories, experiences, and conversations at JFI 2026!

Watch a video of Sirens: Songs of Sisterhood, created by Liminal Creative in collaboration with Polish Women’s Group , Femina- Polskie Centrum Dla Kobiet. Video created by Myriago.

Watch a video of And… Breathe by Pif-Paf at Leicester Cathedral, created by festival supporter and film maker, Leigh Spencer.