Hi High Rise, the 2010 short film on life in one of Hulme’s last remaining tower blocks Hornchurch Court, will be installed in Manchester Art Gallery on Monday 9 May 2011.
The film documents the relationship between the building’s architecture and its community and was made by residents Jan Dixon and Emily Dixon of creative partnership TAPE, who have lived in the 1960s housing block since 2008.
Known as the ‘high rise of all high rises’, Hornchurch Court survived the 1990s’ demolition that befell much of Hulme’s more notorious post-war architecture.
The new five minute re-edit of TAPE’s documentary on the block focuses on its diverse population, including first ever resident George (now 87), caretaker Patrick and writer and musician John Robb – and their views on their physical environment, particularly its impact on their community, interactions, lifestyle and sense of home.
Originally from the north-east but having lived and worked in Manchester for seven years, Jan and Emily moved into Hornchurch Court after a period working in Berlin. “We were instantly gripped by the experience of living in this vertical micro-community, and by the differences between our expectations and reality,” Jan Dixon said. “We became very passionate about documenting the building and its community in a celebratory way.”
Since its launch last year Hi High Rise has been showcased at the London International Documentary Festival (LIDF), Latitude Festival, Manchester’s Kino International Film Festival and the Persistence Resistance Festival New Delhi (as part of a ‘best of’ selection from LIDF). It was also chosen for the British Council’s International Short Film Festivals Support Scheme.
Emily Dixon said: “We’re thrilled that our film will now be included in our home city’s art gallery where we hope it will expose the ideas and opinions of an often overlooked group within the city, challenging social preconceptions and celebrating a positive example of high-rise Sixties architecture.”