Shared?

Shared? follows a colourful cast of characters living in, and close-by to a shared housing association development where a rumour has been circulating and the local Neighbourhood App has taken a definite turn for the odd. Meet these neighbours, from different countries, classes and cultures as their worlds begin to combine and collide. One of them is Emma; a single mother, she has ‘earned’ enough points to move into a new flat in a shared housing development on the leafy side of town. She works long hours for low pay. From the outside, looking in, Emma can see that her new neighbourhood promises new faces, integrated schools and more sourdough bakes than you can shake a stick at but all she wants is to be able to spend more time with her 14 -year- old son, Josh, who seems to have developed some issues of his own. Emma’s new flat is only 2km from the estate she grew up in but sometimes it feels a world away from the people and the ways that she knows- she’s in a land with the ‘others’ – and wonders if she can ever truly belong. Segregation between the two main religious communities is a long-running issue in the political and social history of Northern Ireland and it is often seen as both a cause and effect of the ‘Troubles’ and of post-conflict tensions, particularly in working-class areas where social housing is often provided. However, when surveyed, 78% of people, said that if they had a choice, they would prefer to live in a mixed-religion neighbourhood.

This event takes place at Ormeau Park, Ormeau Road, Belfast BT7 3GG