Widely considered to be a key documentary filmmaker of his generation, Mark Isaacs' respect for his protagonists is central to the stories he tells. Now Second Run have brought together two of his films on a single DVD, the 2007 All White in Barking and the 2008 Men of the City.

All White in Barking
Isaacs' compassionate and illuminating documentary probes the attitudes of Barking's white residents toward their new immigrant neighbours, characterized by unexamined (and often comic) prejudices about their dress, religious beliefs, and strange cooking smells. Isaacs is an unseen, but prominent, presence, questioning prejudices and prying at preconceptions with remarkable results to produce a vivid picture of the attitudes and preconceptions at the heart of an increasingly multicultural Britain.

Men of the City
In his latest film, Marc Isaacs chronicles the fate of several Londoners from various social classes during the current economic crisis: a rich trader whose family have left him, a spiritually oriented street-sweeper seeking peace in his soul and a Bangladeshi immigrant whose greatest wish is to find a different job, while an apparently well-balanced, cigar-loving insurance agent desperately longs to escape his daily grind. Using footage from the seemingly eternally rain-sodden British capital, as well as an impressive and audacious use of music and sound, Isaacs fluidly balances sensitive portraits of people striving to find their place in the swarming city of London.

All White in Barking / Men of the City (Two Films by Mark Isaacs) will be released on UK DVD by Second Run on 25th October 2010. New digital transfer of both films will be joined by the following extras:

• Newly filmed interview with Nick Fraser (Producer and Series Editor, BBC Storyville);
• Booklet featuring a new essay by Noel Megahey.