Raw, unique & compelling – From the Frontline is the story of how healthcare workers on both sides of the Atlantic harnessed the power of creative expression to document their world as the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK and the US. It is rare for a news event to touch us all in so many ways. As governments issued stay at home orders many people – who would become known as ‘key workers’ – continued to go to work to keep the country operating. Literally at the frontline of the pandemic were the healthcare workers who saw their lives change dramatically as hospitals were transformed overnight.

Filmmaker Shreepali Patel and Neonatal Doctor, Topun Austin, who had previously collaborated on the award-winning film ‘The Golden Window’, recognised the uniqueness of this moment for the healthcare workers and were keen to give them a voice to express their experiences and feelings, concerned that in the face of the relentless 24-hour news cycle their stories would soon be forgotten.

Their emotive testimonies, told through direct voice, photography, music, paintings, writings, and social media, reveal a remarkable determination, understanding and hope to affect change when their world based on science and humanity is thrown into complete turmoil.  

To date over 115,000 healthcare workers have died of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic and this film is dedicated to everyone who worked on the frontline. 

Made with the multi-award-winning film research team at StoryLab.