ALMOST LIVERPOOL 8
Documentary 2021 Dir Daniel Draper and Allan Melia
Fifty years ago, photographer Don McCullin captured the area of Toxteth, Liverpool, on film. During lockdown, filmmakers from the area created a film about life in the Toxteth community today: Almost Liverpool 8.
A modern portrait, the film takes a non-stop tour through the streets, past its history, through to its continuing influence on culture and music. Interviews with poets, rappers, shopkeepers and beekeepers show how integration and diversity makes up everything that is positive about Britain today. With synagogues, mosques and churches sitting shoulder to shoulder and Yemeni, Syrian and Caribbean restaurants found side by side, Toxteth is the world in one postcode, Liverpool 8.
With intelligence as well as camaraderie, they say: it’s the people who make Toxteth The Guardian
When the world became smaller during the pandemic of 2020, Shut Out The Light turned its lens on its own community. The result is a peaceful, reflective documentary of a place and its people.
After being selected for Sheffield DocFest 2021, Almost Liverpool 8 had its premiere at the historic Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, followed by a cinema release - co-distributed with Dartmouth Films.
the love and pride within the community bursts off the screen Flipscreened
Using Don McCullin's infamous image from 1970 of a girl jumping over a puddle as a starting point, the film draws parallels between the reputation of the area in the past, and its perceived reputation today. Without exposition, the film manages to address this issue thanks to the optimism and candour of its contributors. And as a bonus, the filmmakers find the modern location of the photograph!
Almost Liverpool 8 is available on DVD and On Demand.
Read the reviews from The Guardian, Flipscreened, Business Doc Europe, The Geek Show, 500 Days of Film, Filmuforia
this documentary is absolutely gorgeous to look at - shot after visually stunning shot 500 Days of Film