Dan Watts writes...Earlier this year, I produced a short retrospective documentary on the life and work of documentary photographer Nick Hedges, who sadly passed away shortly after its release. The film was commissioned by the National Trust and screened at the BAFTA-qualifying Flatpack Festival.
Post-war, families across the UK were left abandoned, living in poor-quality social housing across the city, originally built in the Victorian era for factory workers. Although these houses were condemned for demolition in the ‘30s, families were still trapped living in slum-like conditions up until the ‘70s due to a lack of newly built social housing. Some were left waiting for 2 or 3 years to move whilst building was in progress.
There was a lack of societal awareness that communities had to live like this in such poor conditions, but Nick Hedges didn’t let them go unnoticed. In 1967, the photographer was commissioned by the charity Shelter to document and uncover the shocking realities of living conditions for working-class families in cities across the UK. His impactful photos raised awareness and sparked important conversations about the right to decent quality housing.
This retrospective documentary, commissioned by the National Trust and Flatpack Festival, shines a light on the man behind the lens, whose eye-opening works sparked a catalyst for change.
Nick Hedges’ photography is a powerful documentation of poverty in 1960s-1970s Britain, capturing the harsh living conditions of working-class communities to raise awareness and inspire change. His legacy feels especially urgent today, with rising inequality, falling living standards, and a worsening housing crisis.
This film Nick Hedges: Home In The Shadows (2025), asks a simple but vital question: Why is housing so important?
Nick Hedges: Home In The Shadows
Directed by Dan Watts
2025, 17 minutes
Watch the film here: https://www.danielwatts.net/filmanddocs/nick-hedges-home-in-the-shadows-2025
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