Tish

Paul Sng, the BIFA-winning director crafts an intimate portrait of Tish Murtha, a working-class photographer from the North East, whose work demands to be rediscovered and rightly recognised. Tish Murtha used documentary photography to capture and embrace her surroundings, and the people who occupied them. It ranged from the Newcastle working class community she grew up in to Soho sex workers in 1980s London. Despite receiving early acclaim for her work, she struggled to make a living from her talent.

In Paul Sng’s documentary, Tish’s daughter Ella opens up her mother’s archive and traces her life through previously unseen images, artefacts, letters and diaries, along with conversations with those who knew her. Narration from Maxine Peake brings Tish’s own words to life in this fitting tribute to an artist whose photography feels more vital than ever.

Join us at Unit Twelve for this screening in our intimate pop-up cinema.

The Pocket Film Club is part of Spotlight on Staffordshire made possible with support from the BFI using funds from the National Lottery.