Film
Tish (15)
Dir. Paul Sng, UK, 2023, 90 mins. With: Tish Murtha, Ella Murtha. Narrated by Maxine Peake.
On Saturday 20th January, Emma Booth from Fotonow will give an introduction to the film and talk about Fotonow’s socially engaged approach to photography.
Fotonow will also run a guided photography walk exploring Plymouth in the afternoon. Click here for more details and to book your space.
Be part of the Document Your Community photography project and send your photos to the British Culture Archive. More information here
Tish Murtha was a visionary photographer committed to documenting the struggle and inequality of the working-class communities that framed her upbringing. Her archive of work from Northeast England and London’s Soho of people on the margins of society in Thatcher’s Britain challenged inequality, yet she was unable to escape the poverty she documented and died aged 56, her work relatively unknown. Tish’s brilliant eye, her unswerving ethics and constant empathy are present in her images, yet little is known of the artist herself. In this feature documentary we follow Tish’s daughter, Ella, as she opens up her mother’s archive for the first time on screen to reveal a treasure trove of unseen images, artefacts, letters and diaries.
“Tish Murtha, who lived a life as tough as those she shot in different eras of deprivation and marginalisation, receives a wholehearted and riveting tribute” The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw
"Details leap out from the photographs, not just the faces of those she captured, but the twist of cigarette smoke, metal ashtrays recalling the tang of wet ash, plasters on scrubbed knees" Eye for Film
"An authentic insight into the devastating impact of unemployment and poverty" Screen International
"Paul Sng’s intimate documentary resurrects a fleeting art radical, honouring her incisive political views as well as her photographs" Sight and Sound
For detailed information about the film's age rating and content notices, you can visit the BBFC website and search the film title, then scroll down to the “Content Advice” section: www.bbfc.co.uk
On Saturday 20th January, Emma Booth from Fotonow will give an introduction to the film and talk about Fotonow’s socially engaged approach to photography.
Fotonow will also run a guided photography walk exploring Plymouth in the afternoon. Click here for more details and to book your space.
Be part of the Document Your Community photography project and send your photos to the British Culture Archive. More information here
Tish Murtha was a visionary photographer committed to documenting the struggle and inequality of the working-class communities that framed her upbringing. Her archive of work from Northeast England and London’s Soho of people on the margins of society in Thatcher’s Britain challenged inequality, yet she was unable to escape the poverty she documented and died aged 56, her work relatively unknown. Tish’s brilliant eye, her unswerving ethics and constant empathy are present in her images, yet little is known of the artist herself. In this feature documentary we follow Tish’s daughter, Ella, as she opens up her mother’s archive for the first time on screen to reveal a treasure trove of unseen images, artefacts, letters and diaries.
“Tish Murtha, who lived a life as tough as those she shot in different eras of deprivation and marginalisation, receives a wholehearted and riveting tribute” The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw
"Details leap out from the photographs, not just the faces of those she captured, but the twist of cigarette smoke, metal ashtrays recalling the tang of wet ash, plasters on scrubbed knees" Eye for Film
"An authentic insight into the devastating impact of unemployment and poverty" Screen International
"Paul Sng’s intimate documentary resurrects a fleeting art radical, honouring her incisive political views as well as her photographs" Sight and Sound
For detailed information about the film's age rating and content notices, you can visit the BBFC website and search the film title, then scroll down to the “Content Advice” section: www.bbfc.co.uk
