May 2015:
Reeling from the Election? Want to make real change? For the last 18 months we have been making an independent 90-minute documentary about what it means to belong to a trade union in today’s Britain.
Those we have interviewed have also been incredibly generous with sharing their experiences and time. With the exclusives that we have, it has sometimes been hard to hear what people have been through. We never forget that people are trusting us with their stories, and what a privilege it is to have people share their experiences in this way. The power imbalance we have found seems so different from the one in mainstream media - it has sometimes been difficult to get our heads around what they have faced, and the fact that this is the Britain we live in.
May 2015:
Where we are at: We have finished filming and are now in phase 2 (editing, distribution, legal check and finding a partner) and will start phase 3 (marketing) soon.
With what happened at the election, we feel a sense of urgency, and want to get this film ready and promoted from Summer 2015, and certainly before the party conferences. To do this, we need your support, so we can employ more people (at union rates and on union terms) to get this film “out there” as soon as possible.
While we would love to have a network pick this up, we know that we initially need to get a ground base: we plan to have community screenings, cinema releases and social media online viewing - this approach worked with a book, Hackney Child that Morag co-wrote and initially self-published and promoted, initially to social workers. As a result of specific marketing and promotion, and good grounding, the book was then picked up by a major publishing house, became a best seller, as did her second book, Tainted Love. The point being, we have used this distribution method before, all be it with a book to build a ground swell before it tipped into the mainstream.
Why should you support the film? In the week since the election, already there are new anti trade union laws are being proposed that will further restrict the ability to protect the whole workforce in favour of excessive profits and “bad business”. We know that the requirement for trade unions has never been greater. We, and you, know the power of trade unions when they show solidarity, but somehow the rest of Britain seems to have missed the point.
We have been blessed with the support received so far - at all levels, including funding and contact books, but to get this film out into the mainstream as soon as possible, we do need your help.
However, even if we do not find a distribution partner, or raise another penny, the film will still be made and promoted as Morag (Director/Producer, and whose idea this film originally was) can edit, and is only claiming her expenses at the moment. Without additional funding, the only impact will be on timing for release - as in-between editing Morag will need to, as she has to date, work to live - but our focus (fair to say obsession) is to get the real story out there asap. Additional funding will allow us to focus on this full time, employe others at union rates and start to have the debate about what kind of Britain we are as soon as possible.
