Essex University alumnus Nick Broomfield studied politics here in the early 1970’s before going on to the National Film School and a highly respected career as a documentary film maker. He returned to Essex University on the 15th of February to present a recent film ‘Ghosts’ and talk to a capacity audience at the Lakeside Theatre.

Ghosts is something of a new direction for Nick as it combines a largely factual story with the cinema style of drama. Using mainly non-professional actors themselves former illegal immigrants and headed by the astounding Ai Qin Lin the cast of this beautiful but searching film show a journey from rural China to the terrible tragedy which in February 2004 caused the deaths by drowning of twenty three illegal Chinese cockle-pickers in Morecambe Bay.

Nicks film, and the subsequent campaign to commemorate these deaths also brought to public attention the fact that three million migrant workers form an essential but unprotected part of our UK economy. The film also launched an appeal which has raised half a million pounds towards relieving the crippling family debts which drove many of these workers to find hazardous, unprotected and underpaid work in the UK, coming here as the film showed by van and truck, often suffering frightening and hazardous conditions whilst being smuggled into the country by organised gangs.

Nick Broomfield presented the film and responded to the audiences questions and comments.