Unfortunately, like so many working-class artists, Tish was failed by a system that often ignores, misrepresents and marginalises working-class lives and stories. Despite early acclaim, she was never able to make a living as a photographer and died in poverty, her work largely undervalued within the photography world and practically obscured beyond it. 

There’s a certain terror in knowing how messed up the world is. Tish confronted that terror and told us how bad things were and how they were going to get worse. That’s incredibly courageous. Forty years later, these images and words have retained an urgency that speaks to the concerns faced by people struggling with poverty in the present day. The inequality Tish documented is seen in the 4.3 million children currently living in child poverty – the majority of them in the north of England.   

I believe documentaries should be curious and ask questions, rather than be overtly judgmental. I’m not sure whether cinema can directly influence our politics, but a film may influence what its audience thinks.

We made Tish to right a wrong and show people how brilliant Tish Murtha was – both as a photographer and as a political activist. This film is a celebration of her stunning photography and also a commentary that invites us to question what value society places on working-class artists and communities.  

Tish is in cinemas now.