Life and health in Glasgow: Exploring the city through film

Life and health in Glasgow: Exploring the city through film

We all have personal experience of the powerful and moving impact of a well-made film with a compelling and engaging story. Films are an integral part of our programme of research, designed to better understand health and health inequality in Glasgow so that we may do something about it.

We have a growing library of short films – vox pops, animations, individual stories, community perspectives and many more – each focused on health, wellbeing and aspects of inequality. 

At the event we showcased four films that we have commissioned as part of our research. We also presented two films by Glasgow filmmakers: Lights Out film by Chris Leslie comprises four years of documentation, timelapse recordings and audio interviews with residents from the Gallowgate’s ‘twin towers’ high-rise flats, prior to their demolition, and Amanda Craig’s short documentary on the Glasgow Women’s Library gives an insight into how the charity is helping bring women's history and achievements to the east end of the city, in an attempt to build confidence and empower lives.

A lively discussion on the topic of films and public health took place, people discussed their reactions to the films and we gathered lots of ideas which we hope to summarise soon in a blog. The hashtag for the event was #GCPHfilm and we got lots of great feedback on Twitter, as well as some in picture form.