With the decline of the textile industry, the mills which provided work for people who migrated to Bradford from the Asian subcontinent in the 1950s and 60s now lie empty.

In 2011, theatre company Freedom Studios took over Drummonds Mill in Manningham and worked with professional actors and the local community to produce a play about the experiences of Bradford’s mill workers.

In this film, Madani Younis and Deborah Dickinson from Freedom Studios discuss the play and how it was inspired by portraits taken at Manningham’s Belle Vue Studio, which helped them to explore the hopes and dreams of people newly arrived in Bradford.

Filmed and directed by Tim Smith.
Edited by Panos Pictures.