UK distributor We Are Parable has announced the release date and teaser trailer for Dreamers, the powerful debut feature from acclaimed filmmaker Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor.

The film will arrive in UK and Irish cinemas on 5 December 2025, following a successful run at international festivals.

Dreamers has already made an impact on the global stage, premiering earlier this year at the Berlinale in the Panorama section, where it was nominated for the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film.

It later screened at the GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival in Dublin, where it won the GAZE Jury Award for Best Feature.

The London Film Festival has also confirmed the film’s inclusion in its 2025 programme, competing in the prestigious Sutherland Competition for first features.

Dreamers Premier Dates

  • UK & Ireland: In cinemas from Friday 5 December 2025
  • Festivals: Official Selection – London Film Festival 2025 (Sutherland Competition)
  • Awards: Nominated for Berlinale Teddy Award, Winner of GAZE Jury Award for Best Feature

Produced by Emily Morgan at Quiddity and financed by BBC Film, BFI, Newen Connect, Finite Films and OnSight, Dreamers tells a poignant and timely story of queer love, identity and resistance within the harsh confines of a UK immigration removal centre. We Are Parable acquired the distribution rights from The Yellow Affair by Studio TF1.

The film stars Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Been So Long, Rain Dogs) as Isio, a Nigerian migrant who has been living undocumented in the UK for two years before being detained. Determined to play by the rules in hopes of securing her freedom, Isio clashes with her new roommate Farah (Ann Akinjirin), who warns her that compliance may not be enough. As their friendship deepens into something more, Isio faces a life-altering decision between obedience and risk in her pursuit of true freedom.

Gharoro-Akpojotor has already established herself as one of the UK’s most exciting filmmakers. She first came to prominence as producer of Blue Story (2019), which grossed £4.5 million at the UK box office and became a cultural milestone. Her producing credits also include Boxing Day (2021), the UK’s first all-Black Christmas film, and the acclaimed BBC drama Champion (2023).

With Dreamers, she makes her highly anticipated transition into directing, bringing to the screen a story that blends personal struggle with political urgency. Early festival acclaim suggests the film could become one of the standout British debuts of the year.

Dreamers opens in UK and Irish cinemas on 5 December 2025.