Nature of the Beast (2017), The Big Meeting (2019) and Manifesto (2022) make up the The Hope Trilogy; a series of films made over an eight-year period, portraying elements of the British labour movement. Why Hope? From Dennis Skinner holding Prime Ministers to account, to the pageantry, politics and tradition of the Durham Miners’ Gala to the commitment of grassroots activists, one thing drives these connected stories - Hope. A hope in people, community and a better future for all.

All three films are tied together by director Daniel Draper’s political awakening after reading Robert Tressell’s The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists; a book which led to his first meeting with Dennis Skinner and in turn his first feature documentary, Nature of the Beast. Filming Dennis Skinner over three-years steered him towards the Durham Miners’ Gala for the first time, which inspired The Big Meeting. After travelling the UK for both previous projects, Daniel decided to return to his own community for the last instalment of the trilogy - Manifesto: a documentary about activists in Walton, North Liverpool. The very place where Robert Tressell is buried in a pauper’s grave. Working class voices and communities are at the forefront of all three films, as is the landscape (rural and urban), nature and politics. The trilogy is a subjective and personal set of films made during a time of hope in party politics.