Ground-Breaking Film THE DIVIDE Seeks To Raise Awareness of the Alarming Ever-Growing Wealth Gap

"An extraordinary piece of filmmaking" DocGeeks

"The Divide is sublime - achingly so. A must see for all ages, all races and all classes" I’m With Geek

"Timely, objective and artful" Colm McAuliffe

A film by Katharine Round

Today, Dartmouth Films in association with Literally Films is proud to announce the theatrical release of The Divide in UK cinemas from 22nd April, a film seeking to expose the effect of the ever growing increase in inequality in the world.

Directed by Katharine Round (The Citizens Network, London Recruits) and Executive Produced by Christopher Hird, MD of Dartmouth Films, The Divide is inspired by the critically-acclaimed, best-selling book “The Spirit Level” by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.

The Divide tells the story of 7 individuals striving for a better life in modern day USA and UK - where the top 0.1% owns as much wealth as the bottom 90%. By plotting these tales together, we uncover how virtually every aspect of our lives is controlled by one factor: the size of the gap between rich and poor.

In a world where the CEO of Walmart earns 1,000 times the average income of his sales assistants, this documentary urges the reader to take a stand against the ego-driven economy which puts profit ahead of principles. This isn’t based on real life, this is real life.

Featured in The Divide: Wall Street psychologist Alden wants to make it to the top 1%; Glaswegian rapper Darren just wants to stay sober; Newcastle carer Rochelle wishes her job wasn't looked down on so much; Jen in Sacramento, California, doesn't even talk to the neighbours in her upscale gated community - they've made it clear to her she isn't "their kind". It becomes clear that a higher income doesn’t ensure happiness and inequality hurts us all – rich and poor.

The Divide also features high profile commentators including former economic adviser to Margaret Thatcher, Sir Alan Budd, historian Sir Max Hastings, economist Ha-Joon Chang, Noam Chomsky and epidemiologist Sir Michael Marmot.

By weaving these stories with news archive from 1979 to the present day, The Divide creates a lyrical, psychological and tragi-comic picture of how economic division creates social division. This deeply troubling documentary serves as both a call to arms, and a powerful warning.

Director Katharine Round said “When it comes to income and wealth inequality we are confronted with shocking statistics on a regular basis, but yet it seems we still we aren’t connected to what they really mean. The Divide has a simple premise: 7 people at different positions in the income spectrum across the USA and UK, their intertwining stories revealing how every aspect of their lives are affected by gross income inequality. There is no data in The Divide. There is no voice telling us what to think or what to do. The Divide is about seeing, and feeling, how very personal psychological levers are pulled in all of us by the dramatic shifts of income and wealth occurring under our noses.”

Executive Producer Christopher Hird said “With opinion polls showing that over 80% of the population think that inequality is an important issue, Katharine Round’s film could not be more timely. Without graphs and without didactic narration, the film shows the social, economic and psychological realities of living in an unequal world.“

THE DIVIDE is in UK cinemas from 22 April 2016

Keep up-to-date with THE DIVIDE on Facebook and Twitter: @thedividefilm and Katherine Round on Twitter: @katharineround

Film Festivals:

World Premiere Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015
London Premiere Open City Documentary Festival 2015 – Nominated ‘Best UK Film’
Official Selection East End Film Festival 2015
Official Selection Take One Action Film Festival 2015
Official Selection Cork Film Festival
Opening Film Global Health Film Festival, 2015

Audience reviews:

@HOLLYCOCKER "A must see film"
@DAVID_CHATER "Brilliant, uplifting and rage inducing at the same time"
@CROONBOX "Poignant and viscerally enraging"
@DLMCQUILLAN "Vital and important filmmaking"
@MR_NOOT "Beautiful, funny, heartbreaking and hugely important"

About Dartmouth Films
Dartmouth Films are pioneers in Britain of independent documentaries – finding new ways of funding, making and distributing films which have impact. We work with a wide range of directors helping to raise money for their films from foundations, private investors, philanthropists, film funds, broadcasters, distributors and through crowd funding appeals. We work with cinemas, broadcasters, online providers and civil society and community groups to get their films seen. And we provide editorial and line producing support to make sure the films are made. Sometimes we are with a film from the beginning, sometimes we join as it gets into production and sometimes we only get involved when it is ready to be released. We enjoy supporting new and emerging directors and working in partnership with other companies. Previous films include Death of a Gentleman (2015), Still The Enemy Within (2014), John Pilger’s Utopia (2013) and Fire in the Blood (2012).

About Literally Films
Literally Films was founded by director and producer Katharine Round to produce creative documentaries for the UK and international market, using new models of financing and distribution. From devising crowdfunding strategies, to working with broadcasters and campaigners worldwide, our aim is to make films that shine a light on important issues. In 2014 Literally Films became part of Disobedient, combining film, art and journalism to produce innovative works that disrupt traditional forms of storytelling. We have worked with the V&A, Serpentine Galleries, Al Jazeera, Amnesty, and Rankin, amongst others.

BIOGS

Director – Katharine Round
Katharine is a British documentary filmmaker who explores big-picture concepts in an intimate and often psychological form. With 17 years’ experience in broadcast television and independent production, she has made films for the BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery, as well as screening at leading film festivals. Recent credits include the experiential documentary “London Recruits”, part of the V&A’s award-winning Disobedient Objects exhibition (and also playing in the Crossover Exhibition at Sheffield 2015), “The Citizens’ Network” for Al Jazeera. In 2009, she founded Docheads, the leading networking and screening organisation for documentary professionals. She is also the co-founder of production company Disobedient Films.

Executive Producer – Christopher Hird
Christopher Hird is a leading figure in UK independent documentary making. He is the founder and managing director of Dartmouth Films, which has pioneered new ways of funding, producing and distributing documentaries in the UK, as well as promoting the work of new and emerging filmmakers. Among the films which Christo has executive produced: Black Gold (2006), The End of the Line (2009), The Flaw (2011) Fire in the Blood (2012), McCullin (2013), Still the Enemy Within (2014), Death of a Gentleman (2015) and John Pilger’s last two films – The War You Don’t See (2010) and Utopia (2013). He is a former chair of the Sheffield International Documentary Festival and was the founding chair of BRITDOC. He is currently a trustee of the Wincott Foundation, One World Media and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and a patron of the Grierson Trust and the London Film School.