Shut Out The Light

Liverpool takes centre stage in this year-in-the-life documentary portrait. An observation of a city and its people over the passing seasons.

Every second Saturday in July, since 1871, the city of Durham has been taken over by miners, trade-unions and the general public for one of the biggest annual gatherings in Europe, the Durham Miners' Gala - known locally as "The Big Meeting".

In an era of PR and spin, Dennis Skinner is a thrillingly authentic political figure: fearsome, principled, and uncompromising, he has been sticking up for the interests of the people of his constituency in Bolsover since 1970. An ex-miner, he was represented his community through the industrial action of the 1970s, the closure of the mines, and the slow drift to the ‘centre-ground’ within Labour politics. Famous for his sharp wit and unyielding style, Skinner has remained true to his roots, fighting for the disadvantaged and often getting himself into trouble in Parliament. The story of both a towering figure, and the fortunes of progressive politics in Britain over the last half-century.

In the early 1970s, acclaimed photojournalist Don McCullin photographed the area of Toxteth in Liverpool, capturing the community during an era of transition and decline. Focussing on one photograph from his collection, a group of filmmakers paint a contemporary portrait of the postcode fifty-years on.

Over three pivotal years in party politics, activists in the safest Labour seat in the country campaign for change under the banner of Jeremy Corbyn's 'For The Many' manifesto.