REEL ENGLAND: Class, Power & Beauty

REEL ENGLAND is a new pioneering exhibition of Documentaries & Moving Image Works from England, on Class, Power & Beauty, creatively directed & curated by Nina Shen and produced by CT20 Projects. About 18 Sep – 18 Oct 2026 – Folkestone, United Kingdom 19 Oct - 29 Nov 2026 - ONLINE (www.ct-20.org/MovingImage) ‘Reel England’ is a new series of Documentary and Moving Image works shown across multiple platforms that explore the stories of resilience, joy and triumph by working-class people, and their fight for justice, and survival against social prejudice and marginalisation. The series is creatively directed by Nina Shen and produced by CT20 Projects. Season 1 - ‘Class, Power and Beauty’ premiers The Aylesham Trilogy - three new and innovative documentary moving image works by Nina Shen - and Boo!, the landmark BBC documentary by David Hevey. The Aylesham Trilogy: ‘Aylesham Remembered by Sheila’, ‘The Court of Aylesham’ and ‘Kerry’s World’ explores the lives and stories of three generations of working-class women and young girls in the ex-mining village of Aylesham in Kent, who are all part of the village carnival. Traditions such as village carnivals are rapidly shrinking in contemporary Britain. In their own words and actions, the community of Aylesham Carnival tell the stories of how the carnival can be an alternative journey to self-empowerment. The commitment from the community towards the carnival is also a symbol of their fight, to keep their way of life (from being destroyed by gentrification), and to keep the Aylesham working-class spirit alive. These unique and original films explore class, beauty and power today. ‘Boo’ presents a group of people fighting social marginalisation based on the way they look - in David Hevey’s landmark film, he explores those who are too different from society and how they fight back with wit and pride. These films and stories in ‘Reel England’ take themes of class, beauty & power as starting points. Despite physical appearances having a performative role in society, for the people in the Aylesham Trilogy, ‘beauty’ is a journey of inner self-transformation, through hard work and a commitment to the common cause of a community. For Boo, the individuals reveal the shallowness and hypocrisy of mainstream society, and their intolerance towards those whose physical features deviate from the norms. They reclaim power through self-love and defiance. Read more Toggle Film / Video