Social Realism

Using the Internet, I looked further into the sub-genre of Social Realism. One website, www.filmstudies.suite101.com describes social realism as the

"representative of real life, with all its difficulties. The stories and people portrayed are everyday characters, usually from working class backgrounds. Typically, films within the social realist canon are gritty, urban dramas about the struggle to survive the daily grind"

Social realism has had a great influence on modern cinema and brought great directors of the British film industry such as Mike Leigh and Ken Loach;

Mike Leigh English writer and director of theatre and film. He is well-known for his films which do not begin with a script, but evolve from actors talking, improvising and creating characters.

Significant works; All of Nothing (2002), Happy-Go-Lucky (2009)

Ken Loach English film and television director known for his social realistic directing style. His films focus on social issues such as homelessness and labour rights.
Significant works; Cathy Come Home (1966), Riff-Raff (1990), Poor Cow (1967)

Ken Loach would be a useful director to look at as his work typically focuses on social realism issues. As our potential teaser trailer narrative will focus on the issue of homelessness, films such as Cathy Come Home would be beneficial to watch as it will influence and help develop ideas for our own coursework piece.