Watch now: Indecent Exposure – air pollution documentary
Air Quality News talks to Morgan Williams, co-producer and director of a new documentary exploring the effects of unequal exposure to air pollution in inner-city London. To watch the full documentary, click the link below.
Why did you want to do produce this documentary?
Growing up in London I had heard little bits about air pollution and felt the effects of it. Washing my hands and having black nostrils after going on the tube in central London was normalised, but I didn’t realise the true scale of the problem.
Researching for a project about global problems and the local effects, I read the news about Ella Kissi-Debrah’s landmark coroner’s report. Having a sister who would have been the same age as Ella when she died, it really hit home the impact that pollution can have.
It made me question whether this was the tip of an iceberg and what are the other stories of people being impacted
What are the main lessons you’ve learned from producing this documentary?
This documentary made me go down a bit of a rabbit hole researching the different statistics and impacts surrounding pollution but at the end of the day it’s real lives on the line.
Talking to young people taking to the streets and mums dodging polluted roads, a key takeaway is informing the public of the real impact of pollution. While the campaigning may not always be easy, having lots of people being vocal about the issue is crucial in getting the message out there. It has made me have hope for the future even though there is a lot of work to be done!
Why did you want to publish the documentary on Air Quality News?
Air Quality News was an invaluable resource when researching for the documentary, always having an article on a new idea I wanted to explore. They also helped me to look at the bigger picture of both the problems and solutions of pollution. Having Pippa Neill as a contact was great, helping to connect with contributors and a base of knowledge to work from.
I’d like to thank my team Zhanika Kozhasbaveva, Vanda Szentjóbi-Szabó, Oliver Cannon-Jewel for presenting and all the contributors who were always insightful and really helped to make the show have a powerful message. I’d also like to thank my tutors on MA TV at UAL for giving firm but fair feedback!
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Maybe you’d like to do a film in Coventry where the council are planning to open up a street to transfer traffic and air pollution from a nearby main arterial road in front of a primary school/playground – and this in spite of the Ella Kissi-Debrah coroner report/judgement!
Very good, thank you. Painful but important to listen. Somehow we have to get the level of traffic down. We think there are even more delivery vehicles on the roads since the covid crisis but perhaps that will decrease. Has anyone done a survey on what all the London traffic is for? Is it mainly families or deliveries? Are the London buses and taxis going electric now? And what abolut pollution from other sources such as takeaway pizza restaurants with wood ovens and garden bonfires and summer BBQs? And the anti-covid disinfectants in the air, do they add to the problem? I know they are meant to kill the visus but do they add to the particles and chemicals? Our air is like soup!