LONDON.- Following its World Premiere at Sheffield DocFest 2023, Modern Films is presenting TISH, a feature documentary from filmmaker Paul Sng (Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché), on view in cinemas across the UK and Ireland since 17 November 2023.

A moving tribute to the life and talent of British social documentary and activist photographer Tish Murtha, Sng’s latest docu-biopic TISH paints a vivid and evocative portrait of Murtha’s life-long commitment to documenting the lives of working-class communities in the North East of England. Tish was supported by BFI Doc Society Fund and Screen Scotland, each awarding funding from the National Lottery.

The third of ten children, Murtha grew up in Elswick in Newcastle upon Tyne. After finding a camera in an abandoned house as a child, Murtha became fiercely driven by her conviction to expose societal inequality and the impact of Thatcher era deindustrialisation on the north of England. Murtha’s lens was a window into the raw essence of everyday life, reflecting the struggles, joys and resilience of the people she photographed. Her striking black and white photos convey a tenderness and intimacy that set her apart from her peers and her work would become a powerful record of a world decimated by a new and ruthless form of capitalism.

Tish’s story is told via a series of intimate conversations conducted by Murtha’s daughter Ella, who has dedicated her life to establishing her mother’s remarkable legacy. Through the poignant memories of Murtha’s friends and family, the film traces the key works and moments in Murtha’s life and career. Her powerful motivations and political views are brought to life through her diary entries, letters and various writings, narrated by Maxine Peake, and accompanied by a patchwork of photographs.

Surveying various bodies of Murtha’s work, the film also delves into her time in London, where she was commissioned by The Photographers’ Gallery to explore the lives of sex workers in Soho, resulting in her series London by Night (1983). Much like her work documenting communities in the north of England, Murtha’s lens is never fetishistic of hardship, but aims to shine a light on people hidden away. She felt she had an obligation to the people and problems within her local environment, and that documentary photography could highlight and challenge the social disadvantages that she herself had suffered. However, despite early acclaim for her work, she was unable to make a living from photography and died in poverty.

Murtha grew up on the streets she photographed, witnessing the dereliction of young lives up close. The figures that populate her series were often friends, family and neighbours, lending a tender intimacy to her stark black and white photos of the so-called underclass. Although Murtha’s work has now found critical acclaim, it was tragically overlooked during her lifetime. The film is a journey of exploration for Ella Murtha as both daughter and custodian of the Tish Murtha archive, a chance to elevate and preserve a legacy that has been lost and to tell the story of an artist and woman outside of the ‘mother’ that existed for her – or the version of Tish claimed within dominant narratives of the 70s and 80s photography – from the people who knew Tish and the images she left behind.