MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT: Photography Docs
Our monthly spotlight reintroduces gems from the past. This month’s focus is Photography Documentaries in honour of the current Letizia Battaglia exhibition at the Photography Gallery, and our special screening of Shooting The Mafia.Take a browse through our photo documentary selections below:
SHOOTING THE MAFIA
Dir. Kim Longinotto
In the streets of Sicily, Letizia Battaglia pointed her camera straight into the heart of the Mafia that surrounded her and began to shoot. The striking, life-threatening photos she took documenting the rule of the Cosa Nostra defined her career. SHOOTING THE MAFIA weaves together Battaglia’s striking black-and-white photographs, rare archival footage, classic Italian films, and Battaglia’s own memories, to paint a portrait of a remarkable woman whose whose bravery and defiance helped expose the Mafia’s brutal crimes.
Coinciding with the current exhibition of Letizia Battaglia at The Photographers’ Gallery, we are holding a special screening of Shooting the Mafia including a Q&A with director Kim Longinotto and TPG’s head of exhibitions, Clare Grafik on December 3.
TISH
Dir. Paul Sng
TISH is the story of Tish Murtha, a working-class photographer who captured the impact of Thatcherism on the north of England but was unable to escape the poverty and inequality she exposed. Driven by a commitment to document the impact of deindustrialisation on working class communities in Northeast England in the 1970s and 1980s, 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.
Find out where to watch TISH here.
SHOW ME THE PICTURE: THE STORY OF JIM MARSHALL
Dir. Alfred George Bailey
An outsider with attitude, SHOW ME THE PICTURE: The Story of Jim Marshall chronicles the infamous photographer’s life behind and outside the camera. A child of immigrants and a life battling inner demons, Jim fought his way to become one of the most trusted mavericks behind a lens throughout 60’s history. A passion for music led him to capture some of the most iconic figures in music history from Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, to the infamous image of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar.