Last autumn, in response to the coalition’s spending cuts, Britain saw the emergence of the first mass protest movement in a generation. One result has been an outpouring of online video, giving a very different picture to the one presented by the mainstream media, but making it hard sometimes to see the wood for the trees.
To that end, the New Statesman is pleased to announce a collaboration with the documentary film-maker Michael Chanan, who has been filming some of the events fuelling the protest movement. Focusing on the arts, both within and outside academia, he is building up a picture of the movement as it develops.
Michael, whose previous films include Detroit Ruin of a City and The American Who Electrified Russia, will be posting videos on our Cultural Capital blog every week or two, leading to a feature-length campaign documentary.
You can watch the first instalment below (click the arrows icon on the bottom right of the frame to watch full-screen).
Michael Chanan blogs at Putney Debater.