Care: A Story of Strength, Struggle, and Solidarity in the Care Sector

Care is not just a documentary—it is a powerful testament to the resilience, challenges, and dedication of care home staff to their profession, and during one of the most tumultuous periods in recent history.

Filmed over the course of the last twelve months of the pandemic, this participatory documentary was uniquely created from within the care sector itself, with a talented team of care home staff capturing their lived experiences on camera in the home. Produced by researchers at Newcastle University, Care offers an intimate, firsthand perspective on a profession too often overlooked.

The film was directed by Alastair Cole and was produced by Newcastle University’s Karen Ross, Andrew Newman, Alastair Cole and Lucy Jolly. It made its premiere at the Berwick Film and Arts Festival.

Care became part of history when it was submitted as evidence to the UK COVID Inquiry in 2024, solidifying its role in documenting the real-world impact of the pandemic on the residents of care homes and care workers.

This project builds on previous research-led filmmaking initiatives supported by ESRC IAA, including Cole’s Colours of the Alphabet (2016), which was released across Africa, presented at the UN. Additionally, his documentary Our Fathers’ Sea (2018) paved the way for his BBC-screened film Iorram (Boat Song) (2021), demonstrating a continued commitment to socially engaged storytelling.

Beyond the screen, the aim of Care is for it to serve as a catalyst for a nationwide campaign designed to drive real change for those who work in the residential care sector, and in turn the residents and their families who rely on their commitment and skills.

Through its UK screenings tour this spring, the project aims to continue to give a voice to the care workers themselves, and demonstrate why we should value the work that our care workers perform, and pushing the issue of adequate support for the sector to the forefront of public and legislative discourse.

At its core, Care is a call to action—an urgent reminder of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 crisis on care workers and the pressing need for policies that protect, value and support them and their work today.

With its unique approach and deep social relevance, Care is more than a film—it is an amplification of the voices of those who have cared for society’s most vulnerable and aims to ensure their experiences shape the future of care sector policy.

Director’s statement:

“Care began as a response to the pandemic, and out of frustration at the overwhelmingly negative representation in the media of residential care in UK. This was heightened  at a time when care home staff, residents and their families were at the coalface of the global crisis. As a project team we wanted to bring together our backgrounds in gerontology, media and film-making, to try and find a way to work with some of the remarkable staff and residents to help tell another side to this story. We knew as soon as the remote camera workshops started we were incredibly fortunate to have found such a brilliant and enthusiastic team to work with in the home. Then when their footage starting coming in, it was clear they had a very important story to tell.”

Film duration: 37 mins
English – Captions available
Directed by Alastair Cole
Producers: Karen Ross, Andrew Newman, Lucy Jolly, Alastair Cole
Filmed by Georgia, Nicky, Nicole, Emily, Lynn (Care Home Staff)

Produced in association with Tongue Tied Films and Newcastle University.

Released with the support of ESRC, and in partnership with The Community Union, British Gerontology Society, Care England and Cosmic Cat Films.

The release of Care is supported by an ESRC IAA grant (ES/X004449/1), Newcastle University.