Experiencing Interruptions?

A Tower Block in Ladbroke Grove

A Tower Block in Ladbroke Grove explores the 2017 Grenfell Tower Fire in London’s Ladbroke Grove from the perspective of the filmmaker, who grew up in the tower block opposite it; Whitstable House. Through the story of the filmmaker's childhood and his family's personal experiences, the film looks at some of the issues surrounding social housing in the UK that may have contributed to the disaster, while exploring the community response in the face of the tragedy

  • Peter Heslop-Smith
    Director
  • Peter Heslop-Smith
    Writer
  • Peter Heslop-Smith
    Producer
  • Karen Smith
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Thom Heslop
    Key Cast
    "Himself"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 11, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    1,800 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Peter Heslop-Smith

A lover of film from an early age, Peter began shooting homemade amateur short films of various genres at the age of 13. While they originally studying anthropology, with a masters of the anthropology of health, at university, Peter returned filmmaking, with a focus on documentary, after attending a number of Open City Documentary Festival's short courses (through which A Tower Block in Ladbroke Grove was made) while working as a video editor for the charity Quilombo UK/QMC School of Capoeira. This film is the result of his time with Open City's 2019 Summer School and marks their first major short as a documentarian

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This is a film I had wanted to make ever since Grenfell happened because, as a former resident of the tower block next door, what happened affected me and my family deeply. However, I was originally very reluctant to explore mine and my family's responses as we were not residents of Grenfell itself. But, my tutors helped me to realised that I could provide a perspective that others couldn't; that of a neighbour, who understands the area and what life in a similar tower block is like.