Acceptable Levels

Synopsis: A BBC film crew is interviewing a ‘typical Catholic family’ in the Divis Flats area of Belfast, when news comes in that a child, known to the family, has been hit by a stray plastic bullet fired by a British soldier - a version of events contested by the army.
Back in London, editing the footage, the producer and researcher on the project wrestle with how to present the incident, and with their responsibility to the people in the film. Acceptable Levels is a meditation on the ethics of film-making, and a powerful critique of the media. It is also the first feature to be made under the 1982 Workshop Declaration, which was a Channel 4 initiative to fund and screen films from the ‘alternative’ film and video collectives, more commonly known as Workshops.
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Year of release: 1984
Notes: Access via Learning on Screen membership.
Subjects: Film studies; Media studies
Keywords: Channel Four Television; ethical issues; film editing; Troubles, The; Workshop declaration (1982)

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