“GRIPPING PORTRAIT OF A PASSIONATE PHOTOGRAPHER OF AUSTERITY BRITAIN”
★★★★
The Guardian
Tish
Feature film documentary
Editor
Tish was the opening film of the 30th edition of Sheffield DocFest 2023
A moving portrait of social documentary photographer and trailblazer Tish Murtha, who dedicated her life to documenting the lives of working-class communities in North East England. Paul Sng’s powerful film celebrates the work of Murtha and her commitment to fighting for the communities like the one she grew up in. Born in the northern coastal town of South Shields, she was driven by a fierce conviction to record the impact of Thatcher era de-industrialisation upon local communities. Her striking black and white photos convey a tenderness and intimacy that set her apart from her peers and her work would become a powerful record of a world decimated by a new and ruthless form of capitalism. The film follows Tish’s daughter Ella as she revisits key moments from her mother’s life and work. She is accompanied by people who remained close to Tish throughout her life, and who are committed to ensuring her remarkable legacy is recognised.
“INTIMATE AND CELEBRATORY DOCUMENTARY”
★★★★
“TISH REVEALS HOW MURTHA’S BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS CAPTURED THE DEFIANCE OF THOSE LIVING IN NORTH-EASTERN WORKING-CLASS COMMUNITIES DEVASTATED BY DEINDUSTRIALISATION”
★★★★
“DEEPLY AWARE OF SOCIAL DIVISION, BUT WITH A GENTLE EYE. SHE CAUGHT WILDNESS, BUT MORE OFTEN HER KIDS AND YOUTHS, AGAINST A BACKDROP OF DERELICTION, ARE QUIET, MEDITATIVE, AND IN TUNE WITH EACH OTHER.”
★★★★
The New Internationalist
“FRAMING OF A DAUGHTER EXPLORING HER MOTHER’S LIFE AND LEGACY … THROUGH HER OUTSTANDING WORK, TISH MURTHA REALLY DOES SPEAK FOR HERSELF”
Screen
Credits
Director – Paul Sng
Producer – Jen Corcoran
Executive Producers – John Archer, Ella Murtha
Executive Producers Shanida Scotland, Hannah Bush Bailey, Mark Thomas, Dani Carlaw, Emma Cahusac, Aisling O’Connor
Editors – Lindsay Watson & Angela Slaven
DOP- Hollie Galloway
DOP drama unit – David Lee
Sound recordist – Cassandra Rutledge
Production Designers – Siam Colvine & Richard Drew
Music – Alexandra Hamilton Ayres
Sound mix -Emma Butt
Grade – Emily Russul Saib at Onsight
Online- Arteus Glasgow
Funders – Doc Society, Screen Scotland, BBC Arts
Cast
Tish Murtha – Maxine Peak & Shin-Fei Chen
Ella Murtha, Eileen Murtha, Mark Murtha, Carl Murtha and Glenn Murtha, Jos & Bob Mahon, Dennis Birkwood, Ethel Cass, David Hurn, David Swidenbank, Philip Herbert, Daisy Hayes, Gordon MacDonald, Chris Killip & Mik Critchlow.
Poster by – Asterisk Film