Generation

This documentary film is about four young teenagers who live in and around Manchester, England. It’s about their lives, their dreams, their aspirations, their alienation, their boredom, their hopelessness and their Saturday nights. Best friends, Fiona Ball and Gaynor McNulty (both aged 17) live in a small village about 40 minutes North East of Manchester. Clubbing for them is the ultimate ritual and the perfect antidote for surviving life in a small town. John McDonald (aged 15) lives on a housing estate in Stockport with his sister (aged 27) and her two young boys. For all of his tough exterior, John is extremely vulnerable and weighed down by feelings of uncertainty and apathy regarding his own future. Hussein Al-Allak (aged 15) lives alone with his mum on a housing estate in suburban Chorlton-Cum-Hardy. In contrast to John, Hussein has a sense of hope and excitement about his future. From these four stories is woven an evocative tableau of life in a northern English city. Includes information sheet. (Awards: Includes Chicago Film Festival, 1997; British Short Film Festival, 1997)