A few weeks ago we were reunited with members of the MPower team in Glasgow for a screening of the film we made together- Words to Her. We had time to reflect on our collaboration and look at what the future of our relationship might be. As part of the session, we were asked to highlight some words that sum up what has been important about the exchange between the two companies. For me, there is only one; friendship. I don’t mean this in a polite, ‘nice to catch up’ way but more in a deep, we believe in each other, we show up for each other way. And being part of Cultural Bridge with MPower has created a profound friendship that has meant so much to our organisation.
Stellar Quines are a feminist theatre company based in Kirkcaldy, Scotland and MPower are a feminist migrant film education collective based in Berlin, Germany. Friendship between our two companies has been so profound because of the political nature of our arts work and finding solidarity in similar challenges and successes has given much needed fuel to our fire.
I met Director of MPower Mervete online in 2023 and we clicked immediately. Since then we have developed the friendship between the two companies through several exchange visits in Scotland and Berlin that have included workshops, shared cultural experiences, screenings, many many conversations and eventually making a short film together.
Some highlights have included a film making workshop lead by MPower exploring the theme of Safe Spaces with our youth theatre Young Quines in Kirkcaldy, Fife. The young people shot on location around the town on buses, in bookshops and on the seafront to create vibrant, tender, funny and honest short films from their own point of view. There was a truly inspiring brainstorming session on the rooftop space of MPowers base at Berlin Global village. There was coffee and pastries and sunshine and BIG IDEAS. There was the day our older youth theatre group Constellations shared with me the plans they had created for their own peer feminist education programme, based on what they had learned from MPower during their time in Berlin. And then there was our most recent event at Glasgow Women’s Library where participants from MPower and from our Glasgow group of young global majority women talked about their collaboration and screened the short film they had made in front of an audience for the first time.
I know the influences of our time together will continue to ripple out for a long time yet. I also know that the friendship will sustain and as both companies continue to change and grow we will look to our friends to inspire each other, share in our challenges and celebrate our successes.