DEBORAH PELLING ART

Created in 2015 as part of an MA in Moving Image, What is Community? explores the human need for connection, belonging, trust, and shared purpose.
Through interviews and lived experiences, the film reflects on what people value most within community — from compassion and safety to mutual support and feeling less alone.
Featuring voices from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, the project examines how communities help shape wellbeing, identity, resilience, and social connection in an increasingly fragmented world.
The film also explores the tension between intrinsic values — such as empathy, care, and cooperation — and the growing influence of more externally driven social values centred around status, image, and individualism.
More than a sociological concept, community emerges here as something deeply human: a fundamental part of wellbeing, meaning, and collective life.