This film is currently unavailable
Glasgow Housing
The 1960s may have been ‘swinging' for some, but others were still enduring shocking slum living conditions.
Director: Terry Yarwood
Overview
The 1960s may have been 'swinging' for some, but others were still enduring appalling slum housing. Sam Dowling lives with his pregnant wife and their seven children in a two room tenement in Nicholson Street, in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, and they're "fed up." In McCulloch Street, in Pollokshields, up to three families, or 18 people, are sharing a flat. The award-winning current affairs series, This Week, probes this dreadful state of affairs.
Reverend Richard Holloway, later Bishop of Edinburgh, is an eloquent contributor, speaking about the crushing effects of living in such conditions. He later wrote of his time working in the Gorbals in the mid-60s as being when his faith in God began to ebb away. Holloway became a vocal campaigner for social issues, and stepped down from his post as Bishop in 2000 after decades of acting "as if I believe there is a meaning to the universe", as he put it. See also Municipal Buildings (1922) which similarly looks at Glasgow's perennial housing problems.
Related
The Ceremony The Ceremony
Thriller 2024 92 mins Director: Jack King
When night falls, two Bradford car wash workers are dragged into an escalating moral crisis.
Palestine 36 Palestine 36
Period drama 2025 120 mins Director: Annemarie Jacir
Acclaimed Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir’s most ambitious work is a powerful exploration of the events leading up to the Arab Revolt of 1936.
Ghost Trail Ghost Trail
Thriller 2024 106 mins Director: Jonathan Millet
Tense, morally complex political thriller about a man hunting down fugitive war criminals from the Assad regime in Syria, inspired by true events.
Plainclothes Plainclothes
Drama 2025 97 mins Director: Carmen Emmi
Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey lead a Sundance-prize winning ensemble in this knockout cruising drama from debut director Carmen Emmi.
What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day? What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day?
Documentary 2005 45 mins Director: Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly’s second collaboration with pop band Saint Etienne traces the hidden history of East London’s Lower Lea Valley before its Olympic makeover.
Young Hearts Young Hearts
Drama 2024 99 mins Director: Anthony Schatteman
A gentle and sincere story of queer love between two young teenage boys, told with warmth and humour.