Artlink Hull and Hull York Medical School have announced that their community filming project is now being shown in local doctors’ surgeries and is having a wider impact across the region.
Since July, Is That It? has been shown on the Weston Park Cancer Charity Bus, a cancer support service visiting disadvantaged areas of South Yorkshire, to improve equality in access to services.
This impactful short film, reaching an average 90 women each month, is co-produced with local Polish and Romanian women and aims to encourage these communities to participate in life-saving cervical screening.
The film’s journey began in June 2024 with a premiere at Hull Truck Theatre alongside a making-of documentary. The project was conceived as part of a broader effort to address the lower participation rates in cervical screening among Polish and Romanian women living in the UK – two of Hull’s largest migrant populations.
Dr Jo Cairns, a research fellow at Hull York Medical School, said that the project’s origins came from her Yorkshire Cancer Research-funded fellowship, which explored the barriers and facilitators of cervical screening for Polish and Romanian women.
Jo and her colleague Helen Roberts decided to collaborate with Artlink to raise awareness of the importance of being screened. They were successfully awarded funding through the Hull Impact and Knowledge Exchange scheme at the University of Hull in 2023.
The same group of women who participated in the original research were invited to join the filming project. Their involvement was crucial to ensuring the film’s authenticity and effectiveness in communicating its message.
Jo said: “We really wanted them to be meaningfully involved in the creation of this film, giving them creative freedom to develop the content and style, which has resulted in the film’s authenticity.
“Katie Harriman from FlyGirl Films has been exceptional throughout the entire journey, from the beginning to the end, and possesses a natural ability to inspire women to put their unique mark on it, making the film truly theirs.
“The film strikes a perfect balance, being both entertaining and carrying a profound health message, effectively highlighting the significance of cervical screening in saving lives.
“We also aimed to use this as an opportunity for the women to foster new skills, knowledge, friendships, and, most importantly, to bring joy as a form of giving back to the community that was so generous in sharing their time and healthcare experiences with us during the research, for which I am deeply grateful.”
Helen Roberts, patient and public involvement coordinator at Hull York Medical School, said: “This project is so important in showing what can be achieved by bringing academic research out into communities through arts-based methods. So much skill and creativity exist in the Polish and Romanian communities in Hull and in the local arts sector. It has been a joy and a privilege to work with everyone involved in this fantastic project.”
The film’s ongoing screenings in medical settings aim to normalise cervical screening and reduce the stigma and fear associated with it among communities who are typically unengaged with screening.
The film has already been shown at Modality Partnership Hull, where an increase in cervical screening among Romanian women has been noted. The film will also be promoted within the Haxby Group. Additionally, several campaigns have been run alongside the project, with an on-site Romanian interpreter working to encourage participation.
Lucy Elmes, lead creative producer and assistant curator at Artlink Hull, said: “It has been an absolute joy to produce this community film project. Artlink Hull is grateful to Hull York Medical School and the University of Hull for the opportunity to co-produce this brilliant film and join such a wonderful group of women on this inspiring, creative journey.
“We want to thank everyone involved for all their hard work and passion; we’ve had such a giggle along the way.”
As the project unfolds, its impact will be evaluated through various methods, including viewership data, audience feedback and testimonials. The goal remains to increase cervical screening uptake within these communities, contributing to the early detection and prevention of cervical cancer.
