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UEL graduate nominated for prestigious documentary award

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Jez Lewis

A documentary made by former UEL student Jez Lewis has been nominated for a prestigious documentary award.

The film, Shed Your Tears and Walk Away, has already won Best UK First Feature last year at the East End Film Festival. It examines the troubled and often overlooked lives of the underclass of Hebden Bridge, a picturesque Yorkshire town.

Jez’s work has been nominated for ‘Best documentary on a contemporary British issue’ at the Grierson Film Awards, set up in 1972 and held annually to celebrate innovative and exciting new documentaries.

Hailing from Hebden himself, before coming to UEL, Jez had some unhappy memories of his life there. His documentary examines the downward spiral of drink, drugs and despair which plague many of the town’s residents in Jez’s old neighbourhoods.

The themes in the film continue those captured in a photomontage created by Jez during his time as a Cultural Studies student at UEL. Initially reluctant to return to his difficult past, Jez eventually felt he ‘must do what he could to bring [the terrible conditions] out of the shadows and show the situation not as a statistical phenomenon, but as a human tragedy with real people with complex, individual stories.’

Speaking about the nomination, Jez said: “It’s a great honour to be nominated for this award, not just for me but for all the people back in Hebden. This is their documentary, as much as it is mine. It’s also great to have recognised the fact that the film covers issues which affect the whole country, not just Hebden Bridge.”

This year’s awards will be held on 1 November at the British Film Institute on London's South Bank. For more information about the awards, click here. To visit Jez Lewis' production company, Bungalow Town Productions, website, click here.

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Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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