Produced by True Moon Pictures’ Carley Armstrong and funded by the British Film Institute and the Greenwich Research and Innovation’s KE4Impact Fund, the project blends storytelling with research-informed practice to tackle systemic inequalities in the UK screen industry.
The film, which stars Vinette Robinson, James Nelson Joyce and Colin R. Campbell, explores social structures of a woman at the beginning of her journey of recovery from drug addiction.
Recent studies highlight the stark lack of working-class talent employed in the film and television industry. At last year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, screenwriter James Graham’s keynote MacTaggart lecture cited a shocking study by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (McAndrew, et al 2024) that claimed only 8% of people employed in television are from a working-class background.
A Woman of Good Abilities disrupts pervasive industry inequalities. The project:
- Shot with a 100% working-class cast and crew, of which 98% were from the North of England and 94% were from the North East.
- Ensured that 100% of production suppliers were from the North East.
- Used 100% North East locations.
- Spent 97% of the budget within the North East.
A Woman of Good Abilities explores non-traditional casting methods designed to platform underrepresented voices, particularly from working-class and marginalised communities in North-East England. These research-informed methods included street casting, interviews, and bespoke audition and rehearsal processes. Working alongside professional casting directors, Dr Chapman and his team collaborated with third-sector partners including Recovery Connections Gateshead, as well as local government and academic stakeholders, to identify and support new talent outside mainstream channels.
Dr Mark Chapman, Director, said:
A Woman of Good Abilities positions its unique viewpoint of addiction within a contemporary intersection of class and mental health, subverting traditional drug narratives focusing on youthful experimentation. This is a thriller about living with addiction: a functioning addict in a professional setting, and their reaction to a moment of crisis.
As part of the film’s impact strategy, cast and crew members were offered bespoke support, including mentoring, wellbeing provision, networking opportunities with industry professionals. These approaches and methods, all underpinned by ambitions to enhance access opportunities to the arts, render A Woman of Good Abilities pioneering in its thinking and delivery.
The project will culminate in a screening and discussion at the Recovery Connections Gateshead, where cast members will share their experience working on the film with guests including recovery professionals, service users from partner organisations, and policymakers.
The film contributes directly to ongoing research around creative inclusivity and ethical co-creation, and Dr Chapman will disseminate findings through upcoming academic publications. A Woman of Good Abilities exemplifies the University’s commitment to research that makes a difference, supporting social mobility, cultural diversity, and new ways of working across industries.
A Woman of Good Abilities will premiere at film festivals in Autumn 2025.
