““I’’m just finishing the ironing, then I’’ll get you your dinner, that’’s all I said.””

“The next thing I knew he had me by the throat.””

“”So I phoned my hairdresser. It was the only place he used to let me go by myself.””

“”She rang Women’s Aid. My hairdresser saved my life. I was a prisoner, now it’’s stopped”.”

Mediaco-op makes films that make people take notice, like this one-minute campaign clip produced for Scottish Womens’ Aid. Its commitment to its social conscience hasn’t been a barrier to success.

Mediaco-op’’s animation to do with child abuse “”Mikey and Jools Keep Safe”” won a coveted Gold Plaque at the prestigious Chicago International Film Festival. Its BBC TV documentary ““Multiple”” – Scottish actor/director Alison Peebles ‘coming out’ about her multiple sclerosis – won a gold award at Chicago, and a silver at the Houston International Film Festival. Its campaigning webclip about refugees in Scotland made with the Scottish Refugee Council, Courage, was picked by the United Nation’s refugee agency to feature on its homepage; while mediaco-op’s feature-length documentary co-production “Man for a Day” premiered at the Berlinale.

Like the subjects of many of those it makes films about, mediaco-op is in the minority. In a media industry increasingly dominated by giant, commercially-driven corporations, media co-op thrives as a small cooperative owned by its workers. As its awards demonstrate, being small doesn’t mean compromising on quality. Purely commercial motivations are not necessarily always an ingredient in making good films. “Our commitment to excellence is driven by our passion for a better world,” says mediaco-op’s Louise Scott.

IYC Yearbook feature: https://ica.coop/en/iycbook