BASED IN NEWCASTLE, Amber is a unique collective involved m film and photographic projects aimed at documenting the lives of working-class people in Britain's North East Their work has traditionally combined documentary and drama in unusual situations In Fading Light represents their most ambitious project to date, and the first to move to full feature-length dramatic form.

Taking its cue from the real life predicaments of the deep-sea fishing community based at North Shields (a few miles from Newcastle), if s the story of a teenage girl who visits her estranged father, joins him aboard his fishing boat and comes up against traditional male attitudes, female jealousy and the despair of a fishing community which is being hammered by the policies of both the Thatcher government and the EEC.

"With a simple plot. Amber reveal, with great clarity the role played by sexual politics and conglomerate capitalism in the degen¬eration of an impoverished community, although the woman's determination and a sensitive use of music evoke a traditional fighting spirit that enables the fishing folk to survive. Avoiding maudlin cliches, the film carefully sidesteps the pitfalls of soap-opera and didacticism, while budgetary constraints are belied by strong performances and a truly cinematic sensibility, a fishing boat tossed by a gale makes for wholly gripping viewing The bleak picture of contemporary Britain makes most other recent efforts look distinctly hollow in their liberal posturing, this, thanks to its quiet conviction, has the ring of truth " - Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Amber collective member Pat McCarthy will be attending the festival to introduce the films and discuss the groups' unique creative processes and enterprising business operations.