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Deep Dive: Tish (2023)

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Tish
Tish is a documentary film directed by Paul Sng that focuses on the life and work of Tish Murtha, a social documentary photographer from Newcastle. The film presents her significant contributions to photography, particularly in the working-class area of Elswick during the late 1970s, a time when the area was marked by poverty and deprivation. Murtha's series, Youth Unemployment and Elswick Kids, played a crucial role in bringing attention to the struggles faced by the community she documented. The film incorporates her correspondence and writings, read by actress Maxine Peake, to provide insight into her life and artistic vision. The production involved her daughter, Ella Murtha, who is the custodian of Tish's archive and insisted that her mother's political views be central to the narrative. The film features interviews with family, friends, and photography contemporaries, and it includes recreations of Murtha's work in a dark room. The film premiered at the Sheffield documentary festival on June 14, 2023, and was released in the UK on November 17, 2023. It received positive reviews, holding a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from nine reviews.

Why Watch

  • •See Tish Murtha's impactful photography from Elswick.
  • •Meet Ella Murtha, Tish's daughter and archive custodian.
  • •Find out about the challenges Tish faced in her career.

Did You Know

•Tish Murtha died one day before her 57th birthday in March 2013.
•The film raised £45,000 from 850 contributors through Kickstarter.
•The film premiered on June 14, 2023, at the Sheffield documentary festival.
•Tish Murtha was known for her work in Elswick, labeled 'the worst square mile in England'.

Perfect For

Documentary enthusiastsPhotography loversSocial history fans