In the autumn of 2010 the Browne Report on sustainable finance in Higher Education was published. Since then universities, students and British political life have been in a state of convulsion. This film tells the story of how under the Coalition government Britain is moving from a system of mass participation in tertiary education to the most expensive tuition fees regime in the OECD and what this means for universities and the nation.
Through a series of interviews with significant voices in the Higher Education sector (including Browne panel members), academics, and prospective students, the film pieces together the origins of Browne, its political fallout, and its long-term consequences.
Full film
“I melt the glass with my forehead”
HDV, 2011, 50 minutes
Director: Joanna Callaghan & Martin McQuillan
Camera: Joachim Bergamin
Sound: Piers Storey
Editor: Joanna Callaghan
Produced: Heraclitus Pictures
Funded: Higher Education Innovation Fund, Kingston University & University of Bedfordshire
Screened: Radical Film Festival 2012
Published: Reframe Journal 2013