We’ve all got an image that pops into our head when we think about what a ‘working class film’ might look like, and for most of us, it’s a vision firmly drawn from the past. This selection of recent short films starts a conversation about how working class filmmakers are capturing working class experience in the Britain of today, spanning documentaries, flights of fancy and realism.
What these films uncover are working class experiences that are rich in creativity, complications, uncertainties and contradictions: the very things that make a film worth watching. This programme of shorts, selected by filmmaker and curator Nia Childs, is for anyone who wants to explore working class Britain as it is and imagines itself to be, in the hope of discovering something new.
The Independent Cinema Office, with the support of BFI Film Audience Network, is delivering a limited tour with in-person speaker opportunities available. Email bookings@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk for more information.
The films
Nocturnal
Dir: Ashmy Johnson | UK | 2025 | 6 mins
Ray is an off-licence worker, working day and night to keep his family afloat. His daily phone calls back home offer him a lifeline amongst the hustle and bustle of a city he is still getting used to. As his days and nights start to merge into one, Ray is forced to confront the choices he has made that have landed him in this country
Terence
Dir: Edem Kelman | UK | 2024 | 15 mins
Terence, a security officer, works the night shift outside a London shopping centre. To the strangers passing by, he is a friendly face, offering directions or a helping hand with shopping bags. To his African community, he is known for his special gift, one he uses to heal those in need.
Never Mind Walnut Street
Dir: Marta Dyczkowska | UK | 2023 | 13 mins
Never Mind Walnut Street is the intimate story of Marta Dyczkowska’s life and loss, set against the backdrop of the sweeping gentrification of Belfast. The film pays tribute to the city that once shaped Marta’s life, as the very fabric of her landscape changes around her, mirroring her own emotional journey of loss and change.
Ffasiwn, The Film
Dir: Charlotte James, Clementine Schneidermann | UK | 2019 | 3 mins
From the pebbledash-coated suburbia of South Wales emerges the unique creative expression of the local young people. Donned in hand crafted costumes referencing high fashion, they parade from the estate to Blaenavon mountain, revealing an intimate view of their world.
Three Bull-Mastiffs in a Corner Kitchen
Dir: Paul Chambers | UK | 2024 | 13 mins
A man looks back on his younger years and relives some of the moments that led him into his troubles with addiction in later life, he looks back with a mature wisdom that flows as poetry.
Journey Mercies
Dir: Tomisin Adepeju | UK | 2024 | 15 mins
It’s Bade’s last day at work, he’s finally ready to go home.
