Emma Thompson Steps In as Anonymous Van Man in Kenmure Street Documentary
Emma Thompson plays a protester known only as Van Man in Everybody to Kenmure Street because the real man insisted on staying anonymous.
Director Felipe Bustos Sierra explained the decision in an interview published on 15 October 2026 as part of Deadline's For the Love of Docs series Deadline. Thompson, who is also an executive producer on the film, a senior credit for a key backer and supporter, steps in to re-enact his actions. The editor on the documentary is Colin Monie.
The film revisits 13 May 2021 in Glasgow. Home Office agents arrived at dawn in Kenmure Street to detain two Sikh men. Neighbours poured out, surrounded the immigration van and refused to move.
One man went further. He climbed under the vehicle and latched himself onto its rear axle. He became known as Van Man. The standoff lasted for hours and ended with the two men released.
What makes this stand out is the reconstruction. The crew could not film Van Man. He would not show his face. So Thompson performs his part without ever naming him.
Bustos Sierra's film began on the festival circuit. It premiered in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, the section for non-United States documentaries Sundance Programmer Interview. It then had its UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival Deadline.
Awards season has followed. The film earned a place on the DOC NYC short list, a narrowed selection of the year's leading documentaries. It also earned four nominations for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, including Best Documentary Feature and Best Director.
The Critics Choice Association, which organises the awards, unveiled the nominations on 13 October 2026 Critics Choice Association. Icarus Films is listed as the company for the film in the nominations announcement. The winners will be decided at the 11th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards ceremony in New York City.
For audiences, this means two dates on the calendar. DOC NYC lists a screening of Everybody to Kenmure Street on Thursday, 12 November at Village East DOC NYC. The Critics Choice ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, 8 November 2026 at 7 PM ET in New York.
