Framing New Brighton – Film Screening + In Conversation

Framing New Brighton is a documentary by filmmaker Dylan Cubbin exploring the famous Merseyside seaside resort on the edge of the Wirral Peninsula. The film looks at New Brighton through the photographs of three acclaimed photographers – Ken Grant, Alex Hurst and Tom Wood – whose work captures the town and its people across decades of social and cultural change.

From the fairground, beach and promenade to the legendary Chelsea Reach nightclub, the film combines photography, candid interviews and rarely seen archive footage to tell the story of a place that has continually reinvented itself. Each photographer brings a very different perspective: Ken Grant’s intimate photographs of everyday life, Alex Hurst’s view of the streets and shoreline and Tom Wood’s iconic images of New Brighton’s nightlife.

Following sold-out screenings across Merseyside the film has since travelled to Bradford, Sheffield, Amsterdam and London.

“New Brighton has always been full of character. This film is a chance to celebrate the town through the photographers who have documented its beauty throughout the years. The response has been incredible, and the audiences have been so engaged. It’s been really special to share the film with people who know and love New Brighton, and to see it continue its run in cinemas. Ken, Alex, and Tom each reveal something unique about New Brighton. I wanted to bring their different visions together to show how photography can preserve memory and perhaps reframe how we see familiar places.” - Dylan Cubbin (Director)

For this special Dublin screening at Photo Museum Ireland, Dylan Cubbin will be joined by Ken Grant for an in-conversation following the film, discussing the making of the documentary, the photographs behind it and the importance of New Brighton for photography. A unique opportunity to see the film in Dublin and hear directly from its filmmaker and one of its featured photographers.

Ken Grant
Ken Grant was born in Liverpool in 1967 and has photographed in the city since the mid- 1980s. Working through long-term relationships with his contemporaries, his photography explores the lives of people and communities across Merseyside, Wales and wider Europe. His work has been published in a series of acclaimed monographs including The Close Season, No Pain Whatsoever, A Topical Times for These Times, Benny Profane and Cwm: The Fair Country, published in 2025. His photographs are held in major international collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York and Museum Folkwang, Essen and he has exhibited widely internationally. Alongside his photographic practice, Grant writes, teaches and curates. He is currently Co-Course Director of the MFA Photography programme at Belfast School of Art, Ulster University. His research interests include documentary photography in Europe, working and post-working-class culture in Britain and Ireland and the photobook.

Film Details:
Runtime: 33 minutes
Country: UK
Year: 2025
Director - Dylan Cubbin Cinematographer - Daniel Frost Sound - Finn Stewart Jones
Additional Sound - Daniel Draper Post production sound - Sam Auguste
Original music - Hypnic Jerk Graphic design - Mark Mazier

This event is supported by the Night-Time Economy After Hours at the Museum Scheme and Dublin by Dusk.