In June 2017 residents of the Silchester estate woke to discover Grenfell Tower engulfed in flames, a devastating national tragedy unfolding on their doorstep. Grenfell bore a striking resemblance to their own tower block. The victims were people they knew, from all walks of life who, like them, made a home for themselves high up above the clamour of the city. Faced with an uncertain future, Silchester residents are fighting to rebuild their community, and their place within it. Welcome to The Tower Next Door.
The Tower Next Door was directed by freelance filmmaker Alex Healey for the Guardian. He started his career in the BBC’s specialist factual television department before receiving a scholarship in film and video at Benetton’s research centre in Italy. His work has been broadcast and exhibited worldwide.
The project was produced by Simon Hattenstone, one of the Guardian’s most acclaimed feature writers. This documentary originated as a multimedia feature in November 2017.
Coming up: The Trap
American prisons and a deadly sex trafficking cycle. Released 22 June.
Documentary recommendations
At the cinema: Don’t miss the national tour of Lost in Vagueness, a film about Roy Gurvitz, who invented the Lost Vagueness area at Glastonbury and reinvigorated the festival. This is the story of the dark, self-destructive side of creative talent and the personal trauma behind it. It retraces Britain’s sub-culture history to see how a band of troublesome new age travellers came together to create Lost Vagueness.
Online: The original true crime drama, The Staircase, is now available on Netflix. An extraordinary story about an extraordinary murder and trial, it inspired much of today’s collection of documentary crime series. Read more on its significance here.
Support the Guardian
If you like what we do with documentaries at the Guardian, then please consider becoming a supporter. Our ability to investigate and expose stories such as these is made possible by our supporters. Join today to support our journalism.
