Films:
Wed 28 2.00pm The Courtyard Hereford
Thu 29 6.00pm The Courtyard Hereford
Tue 27 7.30pm Ludlow Assembly Rooms
Ghosts (15)
Director: Nick Broomfield
Starring: Ai Qin Lin, Zhan Yu, Zhe Wei
UK, 1 hour 40 minutes, subtitles
Like In This World, this is a fictional recreation of a real story - in this case the tragic deaths of 21 Chinese cockle-pickers in Morecambe Bay - and a detailed exploration of the problems faced by those who risk everything to find work in Britain. From this invisible legion we follow one migrant, Ai Qin Lin, who pays a small fortune to travel halfway across the world to live and work in the most ghastly conditions imaginable. The desperate dullness of the daily routine is well depicted, as is the callous disregard of the gang-masters, British landlords, employment agencies and all those that profit directly from this trade. A fine performance from ex-illegal immigrant Ai Qin Lin, and Broomfield's righteous indignation, inevitably raises the question of the responsibilities of the rest of us who profit indirectly from this supply of cheap labour.
There will be a discussion after the Tuesday 27th March screening at Ludlow Assembly Rooms led by Paul Whitehouse who retired from the Police Service in 2001. Currently, he is Vice-Chair of the Council of Nacro - the Crime Reduction Charity, Treasurer of Ludlow Assembly Rooms and chairs the Gang-masters Licensing Authority. Paul will talk about the similarities and differences between the film and the real events, and, about what 'happened next'.