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A film to honour those affected by the infected blood scandal

Sir Brian Langstaff speaking at the Reflections event
  • Category:
    • Our Projects
  • Year:

    2024

It was truly an honour to be asked to create a film that was played at the Reflections event in London where the infected and affected gathered to mark the close of the Infected Blood Inquiry and the publishing of the Inquiry’s report.

On Monday 20th May 2024, 1,500 people came together including those who are leading the Infected Blood Inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff (Chair of the Inquiry), UK politicians, campaigners, journalists and the families of those infected. The event took place at Central Hall Westminster where our film was played, along with music, readings and additional video content.

In collaboration with Hunter Gatherer, we were asked to create a film that represented the estimated 30,000 people infected. The film played 12 voices of individuals who had either received infected blood or blood products themselves or lost a loved one as a direct result, and the impact it has had on their lives. You can watch the Testimonies film here. 

Scared of my own blood screen grab from Testimonies film
A scene from the Testimonies film played at the Reflections event

The event, featured on BBC News and Sky News among others, and was broadcast live on the Inquiry’s YouTube channel, aimed to raise awareness of the devastation that administering infected blood and infected blood products has caused, and continues to cause, to thousands of families around the UK.

Image from reflections event with loved one holding up a poster
01/03
Photo from the Reflections event outside Central Hall Westminster
Loved ones fighting for justice of those who've lost their life
Photo from the Reflections event in Central Hall Westminster
02/03
Photo from the Reflections event in Central Hall Westminster
Hosted by Sir Brian Langstaff where the Testimonies film was played
Welcome at the Reflections event
03/03
Photo from the Reflection event at Central Hall Westminster
Attendees gathered before the Reflections event commenced

The Inquiry is an independent public statutory Inquiry established to examine the circumstances in which men, women and children treated by National Health Services in the United Kingdom were given infected blood and infected blood products, in particular since 1970.

Dan Musty, Community Producer at Millstream Productions, said: 

“Making this film is a huge honour for us. Trawling through the Inquiry interviews from those living with conditions caused by infected blood has been very emotional and it was important that we represented the individuals, including those now deceased, in a sensitive way. I wanted to portray the sense that this could have been any one of us in the UK who were infected or affected. These individuals are heroes who have continued to fight, despite the barriers put up by the UK Government, over many years and are battling the effects of living with infected blood on a daily basis.”  

Art Lewry, Director of Hunter Gatherer, said: 

“The creation of the Reflections event required the bringing together of some of the best creative talents in the UK, all of whom needed to be sensitive to what is an extremely challenging subject.  Having worked with the team at Millstream numerous times and knowing how fantastic they are at crafting video to tell human stories, I had no doubt they would deliver a powerful film in“Testimonies”. It’s incredibly moving.”

If you're interested in commissioning a documentary, or would like to find out more about our video services, get in touch today.