Stories of the Working Class
A programme of National Film and Television School documentary films connected by the theme of the working class, curated from our collection by Josh Bullin.
Behind the Rent Strike - a still from the film, 7 of 13 (1979) by Nick BroomfieldNational Film and Television School
A diverse collection of documentaries exploring the lives of working-class people in Britain and beyond. In tracking the realist everyday experiences of the individuals featured, these films capture their wide-ranging perspectives in moving detail.
You Can't Hide from the Truth - a still from the film, 3 of 4 (2016) by Amaru AmasiNational Film and Television School
Through these stories, the filmmakers highlight the systemic issues that face working-class people across the globe, addressing employment, education, the direct action taken to fight against the establishment and the passions they rightfully pursue against the odds.
Behind the Rent Strike (1974)
Nick Broomfield documents the 1973 Kirkby rent strike, where defiant testimonies are combined with electric footage from committee meetings and protests to detail how financial and social mobility remain an illusion for the working class at every stage of life.
Ethel Singleton featured in the documentary Behind the Rent Strike (1979) by Nick BroomfieldNational Film and Television School
As we approach fifty years since the film was made, the words of organizer and interviewee, Ethel Singleton to describe their plight still rings true: “The process of it never changes… our position never, ever changes. Never.”
Bombay Fight Night (2013)
A long-ago lavish Bollywood studio in India is transformed into an MMA ring, where two fighters from rural villages compete for cash prizes. Their drive, passion and devotion to family contrasts against their fight’s commodification into entertainment for the middle classes.
Dylan (2011)
In Dylan, Ania Winiarska crafts a portrait of youthful indignation through its titular subject, tracking his everyday thoughts and activities across his dilapidated Belfast neighbourhood. Dylan’s aimless wanderings reveal a system still failing to nurture or inspire its youth.
Love Me Tender (2014)
Love Me Tender dovetails between snapshots of three men in their early 20s taking steps to better their lives after trying times. The film captures a moving and wistful transitionary period that is warmly evoked in the gentle score and the film’s sleepy coastal setting.
Love Me Tender - a still from the film, 3 of 4 (2014) by Tim KnightNational Film and Television School
Through Aidan, Gareth and Gaz, emphasis is placed on the small but meaningful changes they make that are personal to them, while shedding light on the difficult circumstances that brought them to this point and are rooted in an unforgiving climate that neglects the working class.
You Can’t Hide From the Truth (2016)
Here A.a.V Amasi unfolds the histories of Zimbabwe’s tumultuous political and economic environment through the tenacious blind musician, Daniel Gonora, who was once the leader of a 32-person band that now has just 3 surviving members as a result of the AIDS crisis.
You Can't Hide from the Truth - a still from the film, 2 of 4 (2016) by Amaru AmasiNational Film and Television School
Now forced to busk with his son, Isaac, to minimal reward, Daniel seeks to record a new album to support their trying family. Though one of the rapturous songs featured warns that “ambition is bad”, the men’s devotion to their music illustrates their resilience despite poverty.
