#WeAllBelong Food

#WeAllBelong Volunteering

We All Belong | Barking and Dagenham Council

Belonging is easy for an institution to talk about. It is much harder to prove.

Client: Barking & Dagenham Council
Creative Agency: Mediorite
Project Type: Short form documentary films
Title: We All Belong

Barking & Dagenham Council wanted to communicate community cohesion, identity and the strength of one of London’s most diverse boroughs. The challenge was avoiding the kind of top-down language that public institutions can easily fall into.

Working with Mediorite, we created three short documentaries built around the people who could show what belonging actually looked like. The films explored identity, food and volunteering through lived experience rather than institutional explanation. That shift mattered. Instead of the council saying: “This is a connected community.” residents could show the relationships, traditions and actions that made that statement believable.

The series created a reusable set of stories for campaigns, events and community communication while giving different groups within the borough an opportunity to recognise themselves within the wider story.

Why make a human-led documentary series like this?

This is a strong example of a values-driven brand documentary, where the aim isn’t product promotion — it’s deep connection.

By rooting the films in real people and authentic moments, this approach turns your community into your storytellers — which is far more compelling than institutional messaging alone.

The emotional shortcut to shared values

With a stripped-back crew and sensitive direction, we captured genuine stories of joy, struggle, connection, and service. And in doing so, the films gave people in the borough something to see themselves in — and something to belong to.

Local governments and community organisations often struggle to cut through with inclusive messaging. Traditional announcements or written campaigns can feel top-down, institutional, or impersonal — especially for residents who don’t feel seen.

This project helped Barking & Dagenham:

  • Bring their values to life through real voices from the community
  • Build trust and empathy across diverse groups through lived experience
  • Create a set of emotionally resonant films that could be used across digital campaigns, events, and education efforts

Each film was built around a theme — identity and belonging, food and cultural heritage, and the power of volunteering — to reflect the borough’s diversity not just in appearance, but in action.

🙌 These kinds of projects are ideal for::

  • Local authorities, non-profits, or membership bodies looking to strengthen internal identity and external engagement
  • Organisations needing to shift perception, challenge assumptions, or celebrate under-told stories
  • Any campaign with a social mission that requires buy-in from the very people it serves

The Story Behind the Project

The series was filmed with a two-person crew—a producer/director and myself as Director of Photography. Filming took place across multiple locations, featuring a diverse array of people, with the production spanning 15 days.

We used a documentary-style approach, primarily shooting with one camera, though for some interviews, we incorporated a second camera to capture multiple angles. This setup allowed us to authentically portray the people and settings that embody the vibrant spirit of Barking and Dagenham.