On the outskirts of Birmingham and the margins of society, the Billingham family perform extreme rituals and break cultural taboos as they muddle through a life decided by factors beyond their control. At times shocking and laced with an unsettling humour, three episodes unfold as a powerful evocation of the experience of growing up in a Black Country council flat.
Through the film director Richard Billingham revisits the figures of his earlier photographs — his alcoholic father Ray; his mother Liz; and his younger brother Jason — the subjects of his acclaimed photographic series Ray's A Laugh.
RAY & LIZ preview screenings are taking place at the following Midlands venues with Richard Billingham taking part in post-screening Q&As:
- MAC - Birmingham on Thursday 24 January at 7pm with Q&A host Professor of Film and Television at Edge Hill University, Roger Shannon FRSA. Book tickets.
- QUAD - Derby on Wednesday 6 February at 6.30pm with Q&A host Camilla Brown; a curator, writer and educator on contemporary art, speacialising in photography. Book tickets.
- Phoenix - Leicester on Thursday 7 February with Q&A host, award-winning local filmmaker Keith Allott. Book tickets.
Writer and Director Richard Billingham and Producer Jacqui Davies have been nominated for Outstanding Debut at this year's BAFTAs. The EE British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday 10 February at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
