Nina wants to know – what’s on your mind? A document of her 15-year-old’s professional people-watching skills brings up some surprising and sometimes sad insights into the lives of ordinary people living in Teesside.
Darlo Dean by Dean
20-year-old Dean has grown up on the Firthmoor Estate in Darlington is helping shape the future of the local community through his volunteering at the local Community Centre. He has started up a youth disco, serves in the kitchen and helps out at reception. He has his own slot on a local radio station announcing the traffic and travel across the Tees Valley which Dean described as his way of giving something back to the community by getting people home safe.
From Syria To Hartlepool by Nasim Daraj & Ammar Haskal
The story of the friendship of 18-year-old Nasim and Ammar who’s 19, from the newly arrived community, created through meeting in Hartlepool and their shared past in war-torn Syria. These two young men from different Syrian cities form a friendship thousands of miles away in Hartlepool. If not for the devastating war, they would never have met.
Football Coaching by Kieran Janicki
Keiran is 21 and from Marske in Redcar and Cleveland. He coaches football and wants to help young boys find their team working spirit. He made this film to show how sport can be helpful in the development of young people.
Traditions On Teesside By Mohammed Miah
Mohammed who is 18 and from Middlesbrough wanted to show a world he might have been brought up in as a child. Instead, personal turmoil at home would change his upbringing significantly. This documentary highlights the importance of providing a safe and well-educated understanding of religions. It discusses some of the traditions which have been passed down for many generations, changed and modernised as they are transplanted from Bangladesh to Teesside. Mohammed’s hope is that this film might challenge the impressions some people may have about his culture.
Female Rugby Coach by Lucy Wealleans
18-year-old Lucy is from Redcar and Cleveland and has grown up attending her local rugby club. This short film follows her coaching young rugby players and gives us a glimpse into what it’s like to be a female rugby coach in a male-dominated world in Teesside.
Luke by Luke Devey
20-year-old Luke speaks about the support that he’s received from the ‘regulars’ in his local pub in Billingham while receiving treatment to transition from female to male. This film, using images from Luke’s transition including before he began and through his surgery, gives us an insight into the lives of people who suffer from gender dysphoria.
Build By Chris Healey
Chris is obsessed, he’s driven, and he’s compelled to be the best storyteller he can be. He sees this drive everywhere, especially in one of his friends; Adrian Kovats. Adrian and 21-year-old Chris went to college together, grew up together. Soon after, Adrian found his own obsession; bodybuilding. Adrian’s family moved to Teesside from Austria, since then he has honed and sculpted his body to become reach his lofty goals. This glimpse into Adrian’s life observes the passion, sacrifice and dedication needed to be ‘Mr. Great North Britain’, Austrian bodybuilder in Teesside.
Football by Omran Al Koteishe
Omran, 19, is a young man with dreams of being able to play professional football. A promising footballer uprooted from his home country as he was just finding his place in the sports community, has revitalised this love through watching and playing football on Teesside.
Surflepool by Elliot Whysall
Moving to Hartlepool was not easy for 25-year-old Elliot, but he managed to find an amazing and almost hidden community to share his love of surfing with. This film illustrates his life in the waves and the welcome this community has given him.