Introduced by Adrian Favell, PI of the Northern Exposure project on "Race, Nation and Disaffection in 'Ordinary' Towns and Cities in the North of England", which produced the film as part of a large scale ESRC project funded at the University of Leeds by the "Governance After Brexit" programme. He is joined by the film maker, Lucy Kaye, for the film showing and a live Q and A, with Professor Mike Savage.

Lucy Kaye creates intimate portraits of diverse individuals in three Northern English towns, in this insightful and compassionate documentary. Filmed across Middlesbrough, Wakefield, and Halifax, the film brings together stories of loss, migration, friendship, and mutual aid, to convey a strong sense of place and lived experience. Exploring our relationship to the places we live and our sense of belonging, the film challenges stereotypes and gives a vital voice to those not often heard. From Where We Stand is a thoughtfully observed film that feels truly collaborative, and an authentic portrait of Northern England post-Brexit. 

From Where We Stand emerged from the Northern Exposure research project, a large scale social science study examining Brexit’s impact on racial relations, new migration patterns, and the sense of place and belonging among Northern English residents.

In discussions about Brexit's causes and effects, Northern England has been the focal point, particularly in the widespread notion of a divided Britain. The region is often portrayed as a hotbed of racial tensions and xenophobia, with conflicts between White British, established minority groups, and recent arrivals such as asylum seekers or Eastern European workers in economically depressed post-industrial areas. The Northern Exposure project challenged these perceptions of Northern England while addressing sensitive issues of everyday nationalism, race, and racism in largely overlooked and marginalised communities. The study aimed to expand and enrich the argument that voter disaffection and community tensions are connected to the region’s long-term post-industrial transformation, tracing them through the era of COVID and after.

As an integral part of this project, the film is particularly pertinent in the light of recent aggressive anti-immigrant riots in the North of England. Kaye’s film tells the story of how ethnic diversity is negotiated in the often tough post-Brexit landscape. The film captures the topics in a sensitive but sometimes raw and uncomfortable way, thus opening opportunities for exchanges among academics, students and the wider public. It is truly a film about real people in real places. View a teaser trailer of the film.

Meet our speakers and chair

Professor Adrian Favell is Professor of Social and Political Theory, and Director of the Radical Humanities Laboratory at University College Cork. He is a Fellow of the British Academy. The author of a variety of works on immigration, race, citizenship, cities, and cosmopolitanism, he currently directs the ERC AdG MIGMOBS project (2023-28), The Orders and Borders of Global Inequality: Migration and Mobilities in Late Capitalism. 

Lucy Kaye is a freelance documentary filmmaker based in London. She graduated from the National Film and Television school in 2009. She has worked for the BBC, Channel 4, Vice, The Guardian with subjects ranging from PTSD to Horse Whispering. Her First Cut film for Ch4 received critical acclaim and she was recently awarded the prestigious Pears Short Film Award for her film Memory Songs. Her passion lies in making creative, character-driven films that can have a universal appeal. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Documentary at the London Film School. 

Professor Mike Savage is Professorial Research Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute. Mike has long standing interests in analysing social stratification and inequality. He has played a major role in the revival of the sociology of social class in recent decades so that it has become once more a central plank of the discipline.