Creative media internship
University of Manchester interns collaborate with SICK! Productions to produce community-driven documentary.
Six student interns from The University of Manchester's School of Social Sciences (SoSS) and School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (SALC) have successfully completed a documentary project in collaboration with the renowned SICK! Productions. This initiative, now in its second year, aims to provide students with real-world experience and enhance their employability in the creative sector.
The interns were tasked with creating a short documentary about community arts projects in North Manchester. This year's focus was on a mural project, where shop shutters and walls in Moston and Harpurhey were transformed into vibrant pieces of art. The goal was to reframe the negative perceptions of the area and highlight the resilient and positive community spirit.
During the project, the students faced various challenges, including technical issues and the need to quickly learn new skills. Despite these hurdles, they found the experience rewarding and gained valuable insights into filmmaking and community engagement. The documentary aimed to showcase the positive aspects of the community and what can be done to further support it.
The students expressed their gratitude to the Moston and Harpurhey communities for their cooperation, and to the SICK! team for their guidance. They also acknowledged the support of their mentors, Fresh RB who played a crucial role in the project's success.
The documentary was presented to staff and students from the University of Manchester and members of the SICK! and Fresh RB teams. The interns received positive feedback for their commitment and the quality of their work. The project not only provided them with practical skills but also a deeper understanding of the importance of community and storytelling.
One of the interns reflected: "It was amazing to see the community come together and to be able to do something that makes a tangible difference. This experience has been incredibly rewarding and has given us confidence in our abilities."
It was fantastic to collaborate with SICK! Festival on these creative media internships. The students gained valuable experience working on socially engaged projects that brought together media, storytelling and real-world impact - a strong example of our commitment to civic engagement and social responsibility. Well done to our colleagues at SICK! Festival and to our brilliant student interns for their amazing work on this initiative.
Dr Claire Fox / SoSS EDI Director
The students who won their places on the internship proved their worth in creating an extraordinary film about community and hope in North Manchester. They spoke eloquently about what they learned from the internship, professionally and personally. And, gratifyingly, they highlighted the skills around teamwork and time management which they had learned on their degree programmes which proved useful on this intensive internship. Well done to our six students!
Dr Sheena Kalayil / SALC EDI Director
Credits
Production team
- Maleehah Maryam Rehman
- Munkuti Kaisi
- Oluwatofunmilayo Akingbade
- Scarlett Beaney
- Nomoya Nzuza
- Esme Freeman
Production mentors
- Fresh RB
Interviewees
- Mattew Stallard - Local Historian
- Grace Harvey - SICK! Community Producer
- Ella Horniman - SICK! Now Fellow, Editor of 1922
- Reece Clarke - SICK! Now Fellow
- Joe Hartley - Local Resident, Moston Matters
- Jeanette Don - Owner Conran Street Market
Shops
- Conran Street Market
- Pizza Lane
- Sharon’s Hair and Beauty
- Tom Clarke & Co
Mural artists
- Folie Art and Design
- Kelzo
- Yasaman Mollasalehi
- MikeSian Studio
Filming locations
- Simpson Memorial Hall
- Harpurhey Market
- Number 93
The funders
- The University of Manchester
- Historic England
- Arts Council England
- Oglesby Charitable Trust.
Creative Media Internship 2024
University of Manchester interns create impactful documentary with Sick! festival
Six students from SoSS and SALC have produced a documentary exploring community engagement as part of a creative media internship.
Six student interns from the School of Social Sciences (SoSS) and School of Arts, Languages & Cultures (SALC) were paid the living wage as Creative Media Interns, working under the guidance of the renowned Media Company “Sick! Festival”, to produce a documentary that explores the festival’s impact on community engagement.
The purpose of the Creative Media Intern project is to improve the employability of our students who identify as being from Global Majority heritage – including Black, Mixed, South Asian heritage – who are currently under-represented in our undergraduate student community and in the creative sector.
Sick!’s month-long festival, “Where’s the Media Now?” activated new narratives through creative collaboration in Charleston, Moston and Harpurhey in North Manchester. The students worked on a documentary that included interviews, and testimonies, illuminating the festival’s impact, and the importance of platforming creative spaces for marginalised community voices.
For the students, the primary goals of the documentary were to encapsulate the festival's core mission and to collect feedback that will help ensure the Sick! Festival remains inclusive and continues to make a positive impact on the local community. The students presented their work at the end of their internship to staff and students from the University of Manchester and members from Sick! Festival.
The interns arrived at a really busy time for us, and it was a refreshing change of pace to have external voices helping us shape the wrap-up film. The film is a testimony to the students’ commitment to the project. In a short space of time, they threw themselves in a new working environment and created an interesting and engaging final product that showcased the skills they learnt. We are incredibly pleased with this project's success and thoroughly enjoyed working with the students.
Miles Murgett / Communications Manager at Sick! Festival
Following the screenings of the film, Dr Sheena Kalayil, Dr Simon Parry and Dr Claire Fox shared their thoughts on the successful outcome of the project:
We were really impressed with the final film. It reflects great work by our amazing students and a brilliant partnership with Sick! Festival. The project aims to support access to opportunities in creative and cultural industries for a diverse group of students.
Dr Simon Parry / SALC Social Responsibility Director
The Creative Media Internship also really builds on our strong relationships with a range of cultural partners across Greater Manchester. We will continue to look for creative ways to combine both these aims in the future.
Dr Sheena Kalayil / SALC Equality Diversity and Inclusion Lead
From the shortlisting phase to the end result, I have been so impressed with the calibre and enthusiasm of our students. It's been wonderful to again work with our colleagues in SALC and forge a new partnership with SICK! festival, who have guided and supported our students throughout the process. The brilliant film the students’ produced is a credit to their hard work and furthers the commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in the School of Social Sciences.
Dr Claire Fox / SoSS Equality Diversity and Inclusion Director
In addition to gaining practical experience in filmmaking, the students creatively explored topics closely related to their academic studies.
They highlighted the communicative power of video, noting how it contrasts with the predominantly text-based methods of their degree programmes.
As a result of the internship, a few of the students are now considering creative paths in their studies and future careers.
