Driven by a commitment to document the impact of de-industrialisation on working class communities in Northeast England in the 1970s and 80s, Tish Murtha used her camera to expose societal inequality. However, despite early acclaim for her work, she was unable to make a living from photography and died in poverty.

This film is a journey of exploration for Ella Murtha, as both daughter and custodian of her mother's archive. A chance to elevate and preserve a lost legacy, and to tell the story of an artist and woman outside of the mother she was familiar with, from the perspective of people Tish knew, and the images she left behind.

Tish was specifically selected in connection with Kirsty Mackay’s exhibition The Magic Money Tree, on view at Bricks St. Anne’s House throughout the festival.

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