One of my favourite projects from 2024 was the series of filmmaking workshops that I delivered with Manchester Art Gallery. The workshops were part of Manchester Art Gallery's award-winning, Families of the World project. The project supports families and young children by offering a weekly stay-and-play session at the gallery, a space for community-building and fun!
The Families of the World team – led by Kate, Katy, and Rabia – were keen to introduce the families to other cultural institutions around Manchester. Namely, places where families could take their young children for free. As a way to make the visits more engaging, they conceived of the idea of bringing in filmmakers to co-create a film with the group at each spot. That's where me and my lovely colleague, Katie, came in!
We selected Manchester Museum, the Whitworth Art Gallery, and Manchester Central Library as our first stops. For each venue, we created a film about the free things that young children and families could do there. We designed the visits such that the day would start with a tour of the building. We would then host a short brainstorming session where we encouraged everyone to share their ideas on information the film should include. Then, we split into smaller filming groups and explored the gallery. The mothers, FOTW is a women-centred space, filmed everything on iPads with a little coaching from Katie and me. After the visits, Katie and I would edit the films, bringing the rough cuts back to the group periodically for feedback.
It was a wonderful project, and I am delighted to say that it has been renewed for 2025!
Find out more about Families of the World here: https://manchesterartgallery.org/families-of-the-world/
