Ricky and his family have been fighting an uphill struggle against debt since the 2008 financial crash. An opportunity to wrestle back some independence appears with a shiny new van and the chance to run a franchise as a self-employed delivery driver. It's hard work, and his wife's job as a carer is no easier. The family unit is strong but when both are pulled in different directions everything comes to breaking point.

Daniel Blake, 59, who has worked as a joiner most of his life in the North East of England needs help from the State for the first time ever following an illness.

He crosses paths with a single mother Katie and her two young children, Daisy and Dylan. Katie’s only chance to escape a one roomed homeless hostel in London is to accept a flat some 300 miles away.

Daniel and Katie find themselves in no-man’s land caught on the barbed wire of welfare bureaucracy now played out against the rhetoric of ‘striver and skiver’ in modern day Britain.

***

Winner of the Cannes 2016 top filmmaking prize, the Palme d'Or

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Winner of 2 British Independent Film Awards 2016; Best Actor Dave Johns, and Most Promising Newcomer Hayley Squires. Nominated for 7: Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor & Most Promising Newcomer Dave Johns, Best Actress and Most Promising Newcomer Hayley Squires

***

Nominated for 4 European Film Awards 2016: European Film, European Director Ken Loach, European Screenwriter Paul Laverty, European Actor Dave Johns

***

Winner Outstanding British Film at the British Academy Film Awards 2017 (BAFTA). Also nominated for Best Film, Director Ken Loach, Supporting Actress Hayley Squires and Original Screenplay Paul Laverty

***

Winner of The Attenborough Award for British/Irish Film of the Year London Critics' Circle Film Awards

***

Winner Best British Film and Best Male Newcomer Dave Johns at the Empire Film Awards 2017

Purchase the Screenplay and accompanying preface here - http://www.route-online.com/all-books/i-daniel-blake.html

You Were Never Really Here (released as A Beautiful Day in France and Germany) is a 2017 psychological action thriller film written and directed by Lynne Ramsay. Based on the 2013 novella of the same name by Jonathan Ames, it stars Joaquin Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov, Alex Manette, John Doman, and Judith Roberts. In the film, a traumatized mercenary named Joe (Phoenix) is hired by a politician to find and rescue his daughter who has been kidnapped by a human trafficking network, which Joe is instructed to destroy by any violent means.

INTRODUCTION

In 1921, Jimmy Gralton's sin was to build a dance hall on a rural crossroads in Ireland, where young people could come to learn, to argue, to dream... but above all to dance and have fun. JIMMY'S HALL celebrates the spirit of these free-thinkers.

A decade later, at the height of the Depression, Jimmy returns to Co. Leitrim from the US to look after his mother and vows to live the quiet life. The hall stands abandoned and empty, and despite the pleas of the local youngsters, remains shut. However, as jimmy reintegrates into the community and sees the poverty, and growing cultural oppression, the leader and activist within him is stirred. He makes the decision to reopen the hall in the face of what they may bring...

SHORT SYNOPSIS

In 1921 Jimmy Gralton's sin was to build a dance hall on a rural crossroads in an Ireland on the brink of Civil War. The Pearse-Connolly Hall was a place where young people could come to learn, to argue, to dream... but above all to dance and have fun. As the hall grew in popularity its socialist and free-spirited reputation brough it to the attention of the church and politicians who forced Jimmy to flee and the hall to close.

A decade later, at the height of the Depression, Jimmy returns to Co. Leitrim from the US to look after his mother and vows to live the quiet life. The hall stands abandoned and empty, and despite the pleas of the local youngsters, remains shut. However, as jimmy reintegrates into the community and sees the poverty, and growing cultural oppression, the leader and activist within him is stirred. He makes the decision to reopen the hall in the face of what they may bring...

Purchase Paul Laverty's Screenplay here: http://www.route-online.com/all-books/jimmys-hall.html

INTRODUCTION

The Second World War was a struggle, perhaps the most considerable collective struggle this country has ever experienced. While others made greater sacrifices, the people of Russia for example, the determination to build a better world was as strong here as anywhere. Never again, it was believed, would we allow poverty, unemployment and the rise of fascism to disfigure our lives.

We had won the war together, together we could win the peace. If we could plan to wage military campaigns, could we not plan to build houses, create a health service and a transport system, and to make goods that we needed for reconstruction?

The central idea was common ownership, where production and services were to benefit all. The few should not get rich to the detriment of everyone else....

SHORT SYNOPSIS

A bittersweet comedy about a Glasgow boy locked in a family feud who just wants a way out. When Robbie sneaks into the maternity hospital to visit his young girlfriend Leonie and hold his newborn son Luke for the first time, he is overwhelmed. He swears that Luke will not lead the same stricken life he has led.

On community service Robbie meets Rhino, Albert and Mo for whom, like him, work is little more than a distant dream. Little did Robbie imagine that turning to drink might change their lives - not cheap fortified wine, but the best malt whiskies in the world. What will it be for Robbie? More violence and vendettas or a new future with ‘Uisge Beatha’, the ‘Water of Life’?

Only the angels know...

PRODUCTION CREW

Director: Ken Loach

Writer: Paul Laverty

Producer: Rebecca O'Brien

Photography: Robbie Ryan

Editor: Jonathan Morris

Music: George Fenton

CAST CREDITS

Robbie: Paul Brannigan

Harry: John Henshaw

Albert: Gary Maitland

Rhino: Willima Ruane

Mo: Jasmin Riggins

Thaddeus: Roger Allam

Leonie: Siobhan Reilly

PRESS KIT

Download press kit and photos from WWW.WILDBUNCH.BIZ

Purchase Paul Laverty's Screenplay here: http://www.route-online.com/all-books/the-angels-share.html

SHORT SYNOPSIS

Liverpool, August 1976. 5-year-old Fergus met Frankie on his first day at school. They've been in each others' shadow ever since. As teenagers they skipped school and drank cider on the ferry over the River Mersey, dreaming about travelling the world. Little did Fergus realise his dream would come true as a highly trained member of the UK's elite special forces, the SAS.

After resigning in September 2004, Fergus persuaded Frankie (by now an ex-Para) to join his security team in Baghdad.

PRODUCTION CREW NOTES

KEN LOACH – Director

The challenge is always to find the microcosm that suggests the bigger picture; the unresolved conflict, the contradiction that, when explored, reveals the landscape.

REBECCA O'BRIEN – Producer

After LOOKING FOR ERIC we felt it was important to make something serious and uncompromising and our French partners on that film, Pascal Caucheteux at Why Not and Vincent Maraval at Wild Bunch, were willing to support us fully. It was excellent to be able to work with them again, the financing became simple and straight forward and it gave me the opportunity to concentrate on the production. Our other regular European partners came on board along with North West Vision in the UK.

We filmed in Jordan for the Iraq scenes – not only did The Royal Jordanian Film Commission prove very supportive in setting up the production but there are many Iraqi refugees there who were able to work with us as supporting cast. Their truly harrowing stories brought the truth of what we were filming into close perspective. It was a joy to work in Liverpool again – it’s a really manageable city full of wily characters and charm.

INTRODUCTION

Eric the postman is slipping through his own fingers...
His wife has gone, his stepsons are out of control and the house was chaotic even before a cement mixer appeared in the front garden. Life is crazy enough, but it is Eric's own secret that is driving him to the brink. How can he face up to Lily, the woman of his dreams that he once loved and walked out on many years ago? Despite the comical efforts and misplaced goodwill of his mates, Eric continues to sink.
In desperate times it takes a spliff and a special friend to help a lost postman find his way, so Eric turns to his hero: footballing genius, philosopher and poster boy, Eric Cantona.
As a certain Frenchman says "He who is afraid to throw the dice, will never throw a six."

PRODUCTION CREW

Director: Ken Loach

Writer: Paul Laverty

Producer : Rebecca O'Brien

DOP: Barry Ackroyd

Production Designer: Fergus Clegg

Editor: Jonathan Morris

International Sales: Wild Bunch

UK Distributor : ICON

CAST

Eric: Steve Evets

Meatballs: John Henshaw

Lily: Stephanie Bishop

Ryan: Gerard Kearns

Zac: Steve Marsh

Purchase Paul Laverty's Screenplay here: http://www.route-online.com/all-books/looking-for-eric.html

SHORT SYNOPSIS

Angie may not have much formal education, but she's got energy, wit and ambition, and she's in her prime. She's been messed about in the past and she's fed up. She has a point to prove. This is her moment.

Angie sets up a recruitment agency with her flat-mate Rose, working in a twilight zone between gangmasters, employment agencies and the migrant workers they place. This is a tale set against the reality of the Anglo Saxon miracle of flexible labour, globalisation, double shifts and lots of happy, happy, happy consumers: Us.

PRODUCTION CREW NOTES

WRITER » PAUL LAVERTY

After The Wind That Shakes The Barley we were keen to do something that was of the moment, with a real contemporary smack to it. It might sound daft but we had this idea of three young lads working in a shed. More of a comedy really, and maybe we'll come back to it one day. Benjamin Disraeli wrote that Britain was the "workshop of the world". Today if you drive by any major motorway and look around the outskirts, the country has more of the feel of one big warehouse; shed after shed. In days gone past there were more factories. It reflects deep structural changes in our world - massive manufacturing imports from China, among others, and the endless transport of food and materials from all around the globe. It all has to be stored somewhere and moved on. Internet shopping too has played its part. It felt like a hidden world beyond the ring roads, all connected by lorry. So I began trying to imagine what it might be like to work there. Of course, most of these jobs are very badly paid and casual labour is the norm.

After visiting some of the above I got more interested in distribution centres and supermarkets, again with a notion of three daft lads causing mayhem behind the scenes. Supermarkets are wonders of administration, communication, distribution, and concentration of power; the whole world comes together in one space. Fresh fish from New Zealand; 'mange tout' from impoverished Zimbabwe; harsh contracts with British farms using foreign labour; threats of 'delisting' to those who do not obey their whim; bad-tempered store managers and crazy customers all thrown in. There is an endless array of possibilities, with part time students, part time working mothers, and older workers retired from factories all working there. There was plenty of material for a dozen screenplays. But somehow the actual physical space is very static and, let's face it, ugly as sin. The more I spoke to people in the sheds, the depots, and in the supermarkets, it became obvious that casual short-term labour was at the heart of an enormous transformation of the work experience.

But a trend, no matter how profound, doesn't make for a story. Despite the mischief I had imagining our three lads, all this was sabotaged one day when the character Angie just popped into my head. She was totally fictional. From the very beginning I could smell trouble. I was drawn to her energy, ambition, and vulnerability. In my mind she was full of contradictions and somehow it is more exciting to write a story where you are not exactly sure where the main character might lead you. In addition, Ken was very encouraging with this hunch. Angie could be viciously selfish, but tempered with some sense of impetuousness and generosity. Somehow she felt of the times. To run with Angie also meant a huge knock-on effect. It meant telling the story from her point of view and not the hundreds and hundreds of foreign workers coming into the UK.

Where to pitch Angie's story was another key decision. Given the desperation of so many people fleeing war or unemployment and desperate to get a job in Europe, there is a whole other world of gangmasters and mafia involved in people smuggling. Some of the stories I heard were almost beyond belief. At the time of writing it cost Chinese immigrants $25,000 to be trafficked into the country, which would takes years to pay off. There were endless possibilities but I suppose we were more interested in something closer to the 'norm' rather than the extreme. Angie's world is more on the hinterland - as if crossing over into illegality-'light', rather than the world of the violent gangmaster. But this so-called 'light' version too has its own special violence, and I suspect it is more insidious because it is more widespread and somehow tolerated - or at least ignored - in a way the outright gangster isn't.

I met many workers who had been totally screwed and left on the streets - quite literally. Some had worked on one building, been tempted to another and another, and then never paid. Others were abused on farms receiving a pittance - well below the minimum wage. Others had escaped serious injury, and told stories of minor injuries and close escapes. And some stories were truly tragic in a world where lines of responsibility had long since been abandoned. A young Pole was actually cut in half with a rope reeling machine. A Portuguese worker without safety equipment (and sleeping in the back of a van) fell while pruning a tree and broke his back. Others worked long and dangerous hours. I spoke to an investigative journalist who told me the story of a man who died of overwork doing continuous double shifts. His job? To stamp company logos on a box, sometimes for 24 hours a day. If we had shown this we would have been accused of exaggerating. After countless conversations with many workers I had a dream-like sensation that 150 years of trade union organising had suddenly evaporated in a puff of smoke.

This story could have been told in any major city in the UK, or indeed most of Western Europe. But there is something special about London. Its scale and mix is quite spectacular. It's somehow easier to imagine the ties that bind us in a local community broken in the anonymity of the megapolis, with hundreds of languages and miscommunication to divide us. Angie asks her father at one point, "Does anyone give a shit out there?" And how many times have we heard politicians and economists talking about the Anglo Saxon miracle? Newsweek has just published a report on the advantages of cheap and disciplined East European labour, and indeed there are many success stories. Yes, it is a booming economy, but how many bones does it burst? They never look under the stone or personalise the abstract statistics. But maybe, in a small way, a film can, so I suppose we thought it might have a special resonance if told in London.

Angie lives in a totally different world to that of her father's. Having bounced from one job to another over the past decade she understandably fears old age and poverty, and is determined not to end up like him. There is a brutal honesty to her that I can't help but admire. When her friend Rose accuses her of living off foreign workers she agrees, but adds, "We all do." And it's true. "Remember that next time you go to the supermarket, Dad," she tells him in an argument. It takes many Angies to lubricate the long, intricate chain of subcontract to subcontract that brings us our fresh sandwich, frozen chicken or juicy strawberry. Invisible, exploited labour permeates every aspect of our lives. Maybe we need the brass neck of the Angies of this world to do the dirty work for us - and keep the nasty details out of sight in a shed beyond the ring road.

INTRODUCTION

"'Twas hard for mournful words to frame

To break the ties that bound us,

Ah but harder still to bear the shame

Of foreign chains around us.

And so I said: the mountain glen

I'll seek at morning early

And join the brave united men

While soft winds shake the barley."

Robert Dwyer Joyce (1830 - 1883) "The Wind that Shakes the Barley"

"To break the connection with England, the never-failing source of all our political evils, and to assert the independence of my country - these were my objects."

Wolfe Tone c.1790

"The entire ownership of Ireland, moral and material, up to the sun and down to the centre, is vested of right in the people of Ireland; that they and none but they are the landowners and law-makers of this island."

James Fintan Lalor, 1848

"We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies...

...In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past three hundred years they have asserted it in arms."

Proclamation of the Irish Republic, 1916.

The English ruling class first invaded Ireland in the twelfth century, when feudal barons staked out their territory. Over the centuries English landlords grew rich at the expense of the Irish people.

A settler population to rule on behalf of the English was established and penal laws kept the Irish in subservience. As well as taxes and rents, Ireland supplied England with farm produce and cheap labour. Famine, evictions and poverty were the lot of Ireland's rural population.

The United Irishmen fought for their country's independence in the wake of the French Revolution. In the nineteenth century the Fenian Brotherhood took up the struggle. Then in the early years of the twentieth century the movement would no longer be denied, though it was fought at every turn by the British establishment.

SHORT SYNOPSIS

Ireland 1920: workers from field and country unite to form volunteer guerrilla armies to face the ruthless "Black and Tan" squads that are being shipped from Britain to block Ireland's bid for independence.

Driven by a deep sense of duty and a love for his country, Damien abandons his burgeoning career as a doctor and joins his brother, Teddy, in a dangerous and violent fight for freedom. As the freedom fighters' bold tactics bring the British to breaking point, both sides finally agree to a treaty to end the bloodshed. But, despite the apparent victory, civil war erupts and families, who fought side by side, find themselves pitted against one another as sworn enemies, putting their loyalties to the ultimate test.

SYNOPSIS

During a journey from Central Europe to Rome, characters connect through casual encounters and set forth a story of love, chance and sacrifice. One older businessman finds solace and a new insight into life when he is forced to wait at the train station due to bad weather. A young man is reminded of life's obligations but is also introduced to love. And three Scottish youths on their way to the football match of their dreams are forced to open their eyes and see the bigger picture. One single train journey sparks many changes for many people.

INTRODUCTION

Ae Fond Kiss, written by Robert Burns to the lover he must relinquish, is a song of heartfelt regret, more resigned than railing against the society that forces them to part. It sets a brooding keynote to what intially appears the very essence of light-hearted romance. Yet the ease with which Casim and Roisin come together is in stark contrast to the difficulties their developing situation causes.

A love story, as well as being naturally compelling, was a way of highlighting conflicts within Casim's family and arising from Roisin's background. "It's interesting how parents want their kids to marry someone who's like themselves. It goes very deep," observes Laverty, who was interested in the process of people "shaking off the beliefs of their parents. It's a serious decision, and it has massive consequences."

It's also a film that deals with identity, not just personal identity, but that unwittingly imposed by family and community.

Laverty is fascinated by "the way we may call a child a 'Muslim child' or a 'Catholic child' without any qualms, without considering what the child himself will make of the world."

SHORT SYNOPSIS

Casim is a second generation Pakistani from Glasgow. Working as a DJ in Glasgow's coolest venues, Casim dreams of buying his own club. His parents Tariq and Sadia are devout Muslims and plan for him to marry his beautiful cousin Jasmine, who is soon to arrive in the UK. Plans go awry when Casim meets Roisin. A teacher at his sister Tahara's school, Roisin is different from any girl he's ever met. She's gorgeous, intelligent and definitely possesses a mind of her own. She and Casim soon fall deeply in love. But Casim knows all too well that, even if he wasn't due to marry, his parents would never accept a �goree' � a white girl. As a Catholic, Roisin finds that her own community isn't very supportive either. When their relationship is discovered, the repercussions of the scandal reach far and wide and sparks fly as cultures clash and personalities collide.

11'09"01 September 11 is a 2002 international film composed of 11 contributions from different filmmakers, each from a different country. Each gave their own vision of the events in New York City during the September 11 attacks, in a short film of 11 minutes, 9 seconds, and one frame. The original concept and production of the film were by French producer Alain Brigand. It has been released internationally with several different titles, depending on the language.

This segment features Pablo, a Chilean singer-songwriter exiled in London, writing a letter to the American people condemning the terrorist attacks and telling the story of Salvador Allende's government and the tragic consequences of Chile's own 9/11.

INTRODUCTION

"The genesis of Sweet Sixteen may have been back with the making of 'My Name is Joe," says writer Paul Laverty. "When you're imagining a story there are often dozens of characters screaming for attention, all saying 'me, me, me, me'. We can't feed them all otherwise the story will collapse. But there was one persistent character who would not give up or shut up. He demanded our attention." That voice became the character of Liam.

"Paul and I made Bread and Roses in L.A. and thought it would be good to do another film on home ground," explains Ken Loach. "We went on a trip at Paul's instigation to Greenock which is a town just along the Clyde from Glasgow. The scenery is spectacular, which is more than can be said for the job opportunities since the shipyards closed."

Laverty began his task by spending lots of time with young people. "For some time I'd been talking with Ken about doing another very personal story; about how one young person tries to make sense of his life. It's as simple and as complex as that. Friends, family and community connect or smash up against each other in endlessly complex patterns. Liam is at a delicate point in his life. Some things just don't fit, though he is absolutely determined to use his considerable talent and cheek to make them do so."

"What struck me," says Laverty, "from talking to lots of carers who work with children (either in children's homes with foster carers or even secure accommodation) was that, no matter how chaotic the family home, most were still determined to make contact with their mother. There's something extra concentrated about adolescence. There's a special energy which can be exhilarating or explosive. Fragility, and often a wild courage, even if misplaced, can sit easily side by side. We were keen to try and capture some of those qualities in our story."

"During auditions we worked with hundreds of young people in sports clubs, schools and community groups," explains researcher Pam Marshall. "A lot of the teenagers had never acted before and were quite nervous. I was amazed at how they surprised themselves. Everyone was able to jump in and have a go. I don't think they expected to get caught up in the improvisation. That was very exciting."

The sense of place is probably stronger in Greenock and Port Glasgow than many towns. The river itself has such presence. Its shipbuilding history, which once provided work for tens of thousands of men, is implicit; monster sized cranes still dwarf the new call centres built along the banks. The wind from the West, the open expanse of water and sharp rising hills of the town also dictate a tough wind-swept climate. In his highest and lowest moments, Liam is drawn to the river. It's where he can dream and let his imagination run wild; and where he has to reflect on the choices he's made which will change his life for ever.

Although Liam's story is told in a town with a very particular personality it will have echoes for many beyond these shores.

GREENOCK & INVERCLYDE

Local people were involved in the filming, taking on leading roles and small parts. People were recruited from local schools, community centres and employment training schemes. Liza Dow, co-ordinator at Second Chance Learning Project, emphasises the problems faced on a daily basis as being housing, unemployment and drugs related. "Confidence and self-esteem are a major issue. We have to tackle that before we can go on to training," says Dow. "People feel they have got less opportunities than people living in better areas." This is reflected in how people approach the project. "Some people come in really nippy and cheeky, but it's a protection and when you get to know them they are really quite vulnerable. I think it's quite sad that the expectations will not be that high for a lot of people. I don't think they would reach for the stars."

These feelings are echoed by Alison Minton who works for Renfrewshire Business Training Scheme. "The situation I would say is fairly bleak. There are very few apprenticeships within Inverclyde." Since 1981 over 6,000 jobs have been lost in the engineering and shipbuilding sector. [i] Besides the public sector, the main employers are the electronics industries and call centres and these are characterised by short-term contracts and seasonal changes. Between 1991 and 1996 Inverclyde experienced the highest population loss of any Scottish local authority, ten times the average rate for Scotland. This is still a major source of concern for the local Economic Development Service.

"I don't feel our client group are very positive about their futures," says Minton. "Not everybody wants to work in a call centre. We are now hitting a second generation of unemployment where there has not been a work ethic in the home." Despite the difficulties Minton would not give up her work. "Their energy and humour is infectious - it keeps me young!"

It is against this backdrop that Liam attempts to hold his family together. As Martin Compston sums up: "Liam wants the right things, he's not a bad person. The story shows how much courage some people have."

The challenges faced by 15 year old Liam in the story are not uncommon in Scotland and the UK in general. A recent report prepared for the Scottish Executive For Scotland's Children highlights the severity of problem:

Almost 40,000 children are excluded from school each year in Scotland.

Just over 11,000 children are in care and up to 75% of them leave school with no qualifications. Less than 1% go to university.

Scotland's rate of teenage conception is the highest in Europe.

Around 100,000 children in Scotland live with domestic violence.

The Scottish Poverty Information Unit's 1999 Report states one third of British children now live in households experiencing poverty. It quotes a 1993 study [ii] which found that, "Although the UK is not the poorest country in the European Union and does not have the highest proportion of individuals in poverty, it has by far the highest rate of child poverty in the European Union." The number of children living below the poverty line in April 2000 was put at over 4 million by the Department of Social Security. [iii]

The Select Committee on Scottish Affairs First Report states: "Scotland has some of the most deprived communities in Europe. As the Scottish Voluntary Organisations noted, one important dimension of poverty in Scotland was not so much the quantity, but the intensity of poverty. Average life expectancy is lower in Scotland; this distorts the poverty picture." [iv]

The report also points out that: "The impact of poverty is emphasised where whole communities are affected. There are a number of area concentrations in the former industrialised communities of west central Scotland Inverclyde to Lanarkshire resulting in general deprivation and health inequalities."

Sources

Policy Research & Information Group, Strathclyde Regional Council, based on 1991 Census and economic date from Economic Strategy Section. Analysis by Marion Lacey.

1993 "The Prevalence of child poverty in the United Kingdom: a comparative perspective", Jonathan Bradshaw, Social Policy Research Unit, University of York, paper to the Children & Social Exclusion conference, University of Hull, March 1998.

Households Below Average Income Series DWP 2001, Dept of Social Security

House of Commons Select Committee on Scottish Affairs, First Report 1999

SHORT SYNOPSIS

Liam's Mum, Jean, is in prison but is due to be released in time for his 16th birthday. This time Liam is determined that things will be different. He dreams of a family life he's never had, which means creating a safe haven beyond the reach of wasters like Jean's boyfriend Stan and his own mean-spirited grandfather.

But first he's got to raise the cash - no mean feat for a skint teenager. It's not long before Liam and his pals' crazy schemes lead them into all sorts of trouble. Finding himself dangerously out of his depth, Liam knows he should walk away. Only this time, he just can't let go.

INTRODUCTION

If first-time script writer ROB DAWBER hadn’t torn a tendon falling off a sand dune on holiday in 1996, The Navigators may never have been written. “I sent in a letter to Ken Loach about my experiences working on the railway and he wrote back saying he was interested and would like to see the script” said Dawber. As there was no script to speak of, the enforced rest after the holiday accident provided the six weeks needed to shape ideas into a script.

Dawber spent eighteen years working for British Rail within the Signalling and Telecommunication department in Sheffield, Yorkshire. As a union representative he worked through privatisation until 1997. The changes worried him deeply and, despite many occasions on which he raised concerns about safety and working conditions, the new managers didn’t seem to respond.

“The idea of dramatising the issues was born largely out of frustration” recalled Dawber. “We were down to the last six men in the depot who refused to take redundancy.” Ultimately, they were forced to take compulsory redundancy, despite the union winning agreement that all redundancies should be on a voluntary basis.

Rob Dawber died on 20 February 2001. The cause of his death was mesothelioma, a cancer contracted while working with asbestos on the railways.

An internal management memorandum revealed that although workers were continually being exposed to lethal asbestos, it was considered to be too expensive to remove it all or to educate them about safer ways of handling it.

It was a bitter victory for Rob when he established in court that his employers were to blame for his illness.

SHORT SYNOPSIS

The Navigators follows the fortunes of a group of rail track workers based at a South Yorkshire depot as the privatisation of British Rail takes effect. When Harpic (so called because he's clean around the bend) the depot boss, gives Paul, Mick and the rest of the gang their new working brief, the company's "mission statement", "performance related pay" and no paid holidays seems like a joke. But before long the choice is very clear to the gang; take their chances with redundancy cash and life as casual agency workers, or work for the company under the new rules...

INTRODUCTION

Here I am in the United States, ten years have gone by since

I crossed as a wetback, with no identity papers I'm still illegal.

I've got my wife and my kids - who came so young they don't remember

My beloved Mexico which I'll never forget and where I can never return...

Los Tigres del Norte

SHORT SYNOPSIS

Fiery Mexican sisters Maya and Rosa work as cleaners in a down town office block in Los Angeles. Pay is low and bullying is common place. A fated meeting with Sam, a passionate American union organiser, leads to an unorthodox and imaginative campaign against their employer. The fight threatens their livelihood, family and risks their expulsion from the country.

Bread and Roses is a story about the most marginalised of LA communities daring to take on their corporate bosses against all odds.