| The Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre in Dumfries is to show a documentary film on Thursday 23rd June entitled ‘The Divide’ which will tie into Dumfries and Galloway Council’s ongoing Anti-Poverty campaign.
The Divide tells the story of 7 individuals striving for a better life in modern day United States and United Kingdom – where the top 0.1% owns as much wealth as the bottom 90%. By plotting the 7 tales together the film shows how virtually every aspect of our lives is controlled by one factor; the size of the gap between the rich and the poor. The film is inspired by the critically-acclaimed, best-selling book “The Spirit Level” by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett. The tag line of the film is ‘This isn’t based on real life. This is real life.’ with The Guardian stating that this was: “A fierce, unsettling critique of inequality” and the Huffington Post describing it as: “A document of our time”. The screening ties in with Dumfries and Galloway Council’s activities to promote the issues of poverty to people in our region. The Council’s Anti-Poverty Strategy, entitled ‘On the Up’ was launched in 2015 and aims to tackle the often hidden problem of poverty and inequality across the region. The strategy provides focus and practical steps to ensure Council resources are targeted at those most in need, helping people out of poverty, improving their quality of life. There will be two screenings of the film on the day, one for invited guests and one for members of the public – who will be invited to ‘pay what they can’. Money raised from the screenings will be used to support partner work around tackling poverty in Dumfries and Galloway. Invited guests will include Elected Members from Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Communities Committee and the Financial Inclusion Strategy Working Group, including officers related to these and other Anti-Poverty work; NHS Practitioners and Board members; and all members of Dumfries and Galloway Strategic partnership, which includes, for example, representatives from Police Scotland, the Third Sector, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Scottish Enterprise. Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, Councillor Ronnie Nicholson said: “ This is an important documentary which examines the relationship between inequality and various health and social problems. It is being shown across the UK and Europe, including a screening at the European Parliament in Brussels. This is not a work of fiction, it shows what it is like for real people living in real life situations and how poverty affects them. Poverty has a devastating impact on families across our region. That’s why we recently agreed the first ever Dumfries and Galloway Anti-Poverty strategy, putting tackling poverty at the heart of the work of our Council and partners”. For more information go to: www.rbcft.co.uk
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