| Ghosts | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Nick Broomfield |
| Produced by | Nick Broomfield Jez Lewis |
| Written by | Nick Broomfield Jez Lewis |
| Starring | Ai Qin Lin Zhe Wei |
| Music by | Harry Escott Molly Nyman |
| Cinematography | Mark Wolf |
| Editing by | Peter Christelis |
| Distributed by | Beyond Films |
| Release date(s) |  September 21 2006 October 25 2006 January 2007 |
| Running time | 96 mins. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Mandarin, English |
| Official website | |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Ghosts (鬼佬) is a 2006 drama film directed by Nick Broomfield, based on the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. The film tells the story of Ai Qin, an illegal Chinese immigrant to the UK. You see her at home, where there is no work except badly-paid agricultural labour, and even this is short. She has a son but no visible husband - this is explained later on. The family have some idea of the dangers, and can keep in touch using mobile phones, but overall they have no control. It follows her from China to the UK where she gets a job in a food packing factory. It reveals that the UK's food industry is heavily dependent on underpaid, exploitative, migrant labour. 'Massage' is offered as a profitable alternative, but she resists this. She finds herself dependent on a 'gang boss', who however is only one step up and needing to bribe richer contractors to get even badly-paid work. His position and that of the group is deteriorating, and there is some desperation when they turn to cockle-picking at Morecambe Bay. The film begins and ends with the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, in which 23 illegal workers lost their lives while cockle-picking.
Contents |
Cast
- Ai Qin Lin as Ai Quin
- Zhan Yu as Mr. Lin
- Zhe Wei as Xiao Li
- Man Qin Wei as Chiao
- Yong Aing Zhai
- Devi Zhu
- Shaun Gallagher as Robert
Title
The title of the film stems from the literal translation of 鬼佬 (Gui lao), meaning ghost, used by Chinese people to describe Caucasian people.
Basis in fact
The 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster involved 38 individuals, of whom 23 drowned. The 'gangmaster' got 14 years' imprisonment. His girlfriend was found guilty of immigration offences. The film shows a much smaller group. But it is generally accepted as an accurate picture of the plight of Chinese illegal immigrants.
