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When The
SONG DIES
When The
SONG DIES
Transgressive North
with Deerstalker Films
2013
view the full film here
Transgressive North
with Deerstalker Films
2013
view the full film here
Home
Transgressive North presents
the folk film gathering
The world’s first annual festival
of folk cinema
in partnership with the
Scottish Documentary Institute
Curated by Transgressive North, the Folk Film Gathering is the world’s first folk film festival, screening films that celebrate the lived experiences of communities worldwide. Each annual edition explores the relationships between cinema and other traditional arts (such as oral storytelling and folk song), discovering what a folk cinema has been at moments throughout world film history, and how it may look in the future.
NEXT FESTIVAL - 2022
PROGRAMME COMING SOON
2021
2021 programme
Folk Film Gathering 2021
click to view poster
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Wend Kuuni
Gaston Kaboré | Burkina Faso | 1982
Set in precolonial Africa during the time of the Mossi Empire, Gaston Kaboré’s feature debut follows the story of Wend Kuuni, a young boy who has lost the ability to speak. Found lying near-dead in the dirt, Wend Kuuni is adopted by local villagers and given a new home. Underneath his new life, however, lies a deep, unspoken trauma. With the help of his playful adopted sister Pughneere, will Wend Kuuni be able to face the darkness in his past, and find his voice again? The first feature film to be made in Burkina Faso, ‘Wend Kuuni’ draws from African oral tradition to create a powerful cinematic fable.
Wend Kuuni was presented with the kind support of Africa in Motion.
Set in precolonial Africa during the time of the Mossi Empire, Gaston Kaboré’s feature debut follows the story of Wend Kuuni, a young boy who has lost the ability to speak. Found lying near-dead in the dirt, Wend Kuuni is adopted by local villagers and given a new home. Underneath his new life, however, lies a deep, unspoken trauma. With the help of his playful adopted sister Pughneere, will Wend Kuuni be able to face the darkness in his past, and find his voice again? The first feature film to be made in Burkina Faso, ‘Wend Kuuni’ draws from African oral tradition to create a powerful cinematic fable.
Wend Kuuni was presented with the kind support of Africa in Motion.
Buud Yam
Gaston Kaboré | Burkina Faso | 1997
In a moment of remarkable cinematic continuity, ‘Buud Yaam’ picks up the story of Wend Kuuni and his adopted sister Pughneere 14 years later, featuring the same actors and locations as Gaston Kaboré’s debut feature. Whilst nearly two decades have passed, Wend Kuuni is still ill at ease in his adopted home and remains a source of tension within his community. When Pughneere is struck down by a mysterious illness, Wend Kuuni is faced with a perilous journey across Africa to find the only man who can save her. Drawing on a masterful use of colour, camera work and landscape, ‘Buud Yam’ is one of the great films of world cinema.
Buud Yam was presented with the kind support of Africa in Motion.
In a moment of remarkable cinematic continuity, ‘Buud Yaam’ picks up the story of Wend Kuuni and his adopted sister Pughneere 14 years later, featuring the same actors and locations as Gaston Kaboré’s debut feature. Whilst nearly two decades have passed, Wend Kuuni is still ill at ease in his adopted home and remains a source of tension within his community. When Pughneere is struck down by a mysterious illness, Wend Kuuni is faced with a perilous journey across Africa to find the only man who can save her. Drawing on a masterful use of colour, camera work and landscape, ‘Buud Yam’ is one of the great films of world cinema.
Buud Yam was presented with the kind support of Africa in Motion.
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Flyer page 1
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Flyer page 2
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Flyer page 3
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Flyer page 4
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Work, or To Whom Does the World Belong
Elisa Cepedal | Asturias | 2019
After the failure of their last strike, Asturian mine workers are faced between a critical choice between apathy or action. Elisa Cepedal’s debut feature documentary chronicles a powerful history of resistance among the mining communities of Asturias, an autonomous region of Northern Spain separated from the inner plateau by the Canatabrian Mountains. Adopting a daring, innovative approach to cinematic form that mixes aspects of observational documentary with a formally playful approach, Cepedal’s powerful film explores a community negotiating the decline of its core industry.
After the failure of their last strike, Asturian mine workers are faced between a critical choice between apathy or action. Elisa Cepedal’s debut feature documentary chronicles a powerful history of resistance among the mining communities of Asturias, an autonomous region of Northern Spain separated from the inner plateau by the Canatabrian Mountains. Adopting a daring, innovative approach to cinematic form that mixes aspects of observational documentary with a formally playful approach, Cepedal’s powerful film explores a community negotiating the decline of its core industry.
Silence
Pat Collins | Ireland | 2012
Hired as a sound technician to find and record places free of manmade sounds, a young man (Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde) travels back to Ireland for the first time in 15 years, finding himself drawn back to the mountains, bogs and lakes of Connemara where he grew up. Through a series of conversations and encounters Eoghan is drawn back to a place of deep personal significance. Blurring the boundary between documentary and fiction, Pat Collins’ meditative feature explores a powerful sense of place, and the deeply- rooted relationship between a young man and the landscape around him.
Hired as a sound technician to find and record places free of manmade sounds, a young man (Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde) travels back to Ireland for the first time in 15 years, finding himself drawn back to the mountains, bogs and lakes of Connemara where he grew up. Through a series of conversations and encounters Eoghan is drawn back to a place of deep personal significance. Blurring the boundary between documentary and fiction, Pat Collins’ meditative feature explores a powerful sense of place, and the deeply- rooted relationship between a young man and the landscape around him.
What Happened Here
Amber Collective | England | 2020
On August 24th 1984 - six months into the British miners’ strike - 2000 policemen descended on a small colliery village in County Durham with the aim of getting one man across the picket line. The community of Easington thus found themselves under occupation. Thirty-five years later, the latest film by Tyneside’s Amber Collective looks back upon the events of 1984-85, focussing in particular on the efforts of a number of remarkable women to keep Easington fed during the miner’s strike. Using photography, archive footage and contemporary interviews with community members, Amber explore what happened through the eyes and words of the community. Framing the past within the present, ‘What Happened Here’ is a powerful testament to the dignity, resilience and solidarity of a community under unimaginable pressure.
On August 24th 1984 - six months into the British miners’ strike - 2000 policemen descended on a small colliery village in County Durham with the aim of getting one man across the picket line. The community of Easington thus found themselves under occupation. Thirty-five years later, the latest film by Tyneside’s Amber Collective looks back upon the events of 1984-85, focussing in particular on the efforts of a number of remarkable women to keep Easington fed during the miner’s strike. Using photography, archive footage and contemporary interviews with community members, Amber explore what happened through the eyes and words of the community. Framing the past within the present, ‘What Happened Here’ is a powerful testament to the dignity, resilience and solidarity of a community under unimaginable pressure.
The Secret of Roan Inish
John Sayles | USA | 1994
In Celtic mythology, a selkie is a seal that can shed its skin to become human. A magical cinematic reimagining of selkie stories, ‘The Secret of Roan Inish’ tells the story of Fiona, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents in the 1940s, in their small Irish fishing village. There she hears the story of her long-lost brother Jamie, who was stolen by the sea and now lives with the seals. As Fiona wades deeper into the secrets of her past, will she unravel the mystery of Roan Inish and reunite her family? A sublime work of magical realism, John Sayles’ film is one of the great folk tales of world cinema.
In Celtic mythology, a selkie is a seal that can shed its skin to become human. A magical cinematic reimagining of selkie stories, ‘The Secret of Roan Inish’ tells the story of Fiona, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents in the 1940s, in their small Irish fishing village. There she hears the story of her long-lost brother Jamie, who was stolen by the sea and now lives with the seals. As Fiona wades deeper into the secrets of her past, will she unravel the mystery of Roan Inish and reunite her family? A sublime work of magical realism, John Sayles’ film is one of the great folk tales of world cinema.
Il Dono
Michelangelo Frammartino | Italy | 2003
In Michelangelo Frammartino’s near wordless first feature, an elderly farmer befriends a woman believed by her family to be possessed, in a small, ageing community in which young people are slowly disappearing to the city. Finding moments of luminous beauty in the rhythms and routines of a community life, ‘Il Dono’ masterfully blurs the boundary between drama and documentary. Led by a cast of non-actors, and driven by the same visionary poetry and humour that Frammartino later brought to the award- winning Il Quattro Volte, ‘Il Dono’ is a gentle yet profound look at the gradual depopulation of a small town in the Calabrian Mountains.
In Michelangelo Frammartino’s near wordless first feature, an elderly farmer befriends a woman believed by her family to be possessed, in a small, ageing community in which young people are slowly disappearing to the city. Finding moments of luminous beauty in the rhythms and routines of a community life, ‘Il Dono’ masterfully blurs the boundary between drama and documentary. Led by a cast of non-actors, and driven by the same visionary poetry and humour that Frammartino later brought to the award- winning Il Quattro Volte, ‘Il Dono’ is a gentle yet profound look at the gradual depopulation of a small town in the Calabrian Mountains.
Henry Glassie: Field Work
Pat Collins | Ireland | 2021
“We are each one of us individuals [and yet] we are all of us members of society”.
Spanning half a century, celebrated American folklorist Henry Glassie has dedicated his life’s work to illuminating the folk art made by communities around the world. Part- portrait of Glassie and part-meditation upon his work, Field Work is an immersive and meditative film set among the rituals and rhythms of working artists across Brazil, Turkey, North Carolina and Ireland. Lyrical and moving, Pat Collins resonant documentary seeks ultimately to illuminate the ‘inescapable complexity’ Glassie saw between the community and the individual.
“We are each one of us individuals [and yet] we are all of us members of society”.
Spanning half a century, celebrated American folklorist Henry Glassie has dedicated his life’s work to illuminating the folk art made by communities around the world. Part- portrait of Glassie and part-meditation upon his work, Field Work is an immersive and meditative film set among the rituals and rhythms of working artists across Brazil, Turkey, North Carolina and Ireland. Lyrical and moving, Pat Collins resonant documentary seeks ultimately to illuminate the ‘inescapable complexity’ Glassie saw between the community and the individual.
Acceptable Levels
Belfast Film Workshop / Frontroom | Northern Ireland | 1983
A BBC film crew is interviewing what they consider to be a typical Catholic family in the Divis Flats in Belfast when the news comes in a child known to the family has been hit by a plastic bullet fired by a British soldier. The British army, however, contests this version of events. Back in London, the producer and researcher editing the footage wrestle with how to present the incident, and with their responsibility to the family they filmed. The first fiction feature to be made under the British Workshop Declaration of the 1980s, ‘Acceptable Levels’ is a powerful meditation the ethics of filmmaking with working class communities, and presents a still-resonant critique of the mainstream media.
A BBC film crew is interviewing what they consider to be a typical Catholic family in the Divis Flats in Belfast when the news comes in a child known to the family has been hit by a plastic bullet fired by a British soldier. The British army, however, contests this version of events. Back in London, the producer and researcher editing the footage wrestle with how to present the incident, and with their responsibility to the family they filmed. The first fiction feature to be made under the British Workshop Declaration of the 1980s, ‘Acceptable Levels’ is a powerful meditation the ethics of filmmaking with working class communities, and presents a still-resonant critique of the mainstream media.
Aquarius
Kleber Mendonça Filho | Brazil | 2016
65-year old music critic Clara (Sônia Braga) is the last remaining resident of the Aquarius building in Recife. Strong-willed and defiant, Clara has survived cancer and the death of her husband, yet now faces another battle when property developers seek to remove her from her apartment. Who will win the battle of wills that ensues? A celebration of powerful womanhood and a resonant critique of urban gentrification, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s (‘Neighbouring Sounds’, ‘Bacurau’) second feature is a rich, humorous tale of survival and resistance.
65-year old music critic Clara (Sônia Braga) is the last remaining resident of the Aquarius building in Recife. Strong-willed and defiant, Clara has survived cancer and the death of her husband, yet now faces another battle when property developers seek to remove her from her apartment. Who will win the battle of wills that ensues? A celebration of powerful womanhood and a resonant critique of urban gentrification, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s (‘Neighbouring Sounds’, ‘Bacurau’) second feature is a rich, humorous tale of survival and resistance.
Atanarjuat - The Fast Runner
Zacharius Kunuk | Nunavut | 2001
Drawing from Inuit oral culture and a story he first heard from his mother, Zacharius Kunuk’s Camera D’Or-winning debut feature is an epic narrative of a community confronting an ancient evil. Atanarjuat is the fastest runner in Igloolik, who finds himself falling in love with the gentle Atuat. Yet Atuat is betrothed to Uki, a dangerous young man whose family has become corrupted by a terrifying darkness. Ultimately the rivalry between Atuat and Uki will lead to a hazardous chase across the Canadian Arctic, and to a climactic reckoning wherein the community must come together to face its past. Made collectively by Isuma TV with local communities in Igloolik, ‘Atanarjuat’ is powerful statement of Inuit vitality and dignity, and a visionary work of cinema.
Drawing from Inuit oral culture and a story he first heard from his mother, Zacharius Kunuk’s Camera D’Or-winning debut feature is an epic narrative of a community confronting an ancient evil. Atanarjuat is the fastest runner in Igloolik, who finds himself falling in love with the gentle Atuat. Yet Atuat is betrothed to Uki, a dangerous young man whose family has become corrupted by a terrifying darkness. Ultimately the rivalry between Atuat and Uki will lead to a hazardous chase across the Canadian Arctic, and to a climactic reckoning wherein the community must come together to face its past. Made collectively by Isuma TV with local communities in Igloolik, ‘Atanarjuat’ is powerful statement of Inuit vitality and dignity, and a visionary work of cinema.
Amussu
Nadir Bouhmouch | Morocco | 2019
Made collectively with the Imider community in southeast Morocco, Nadir Bouhmouch’s rousing documentary chronicles a courageous act of community resistance. In 2011, the women, men and children of the indigenous Amazigh community of Imider in rural Morocco came together to shut down the water pipeline to Africa’s biggest silver mine, in order to stop it drying out the community’s almond groves and destroying their oasis. Filmed eight years later, Amussu follows the villagers as they consider an ongoing resistance cobbled together from the few means at their disposal: songs, weekly assemblies, a flimsy camera, a film festival and endless ingenuity.
Made collectively with the Imider community in southeast Morocco, Nadir Bouhmouch’s rousing documentary chronicles a courageous act of community resistance. In 2011, the women, men and children of the indigenous Amazigh community of Imider in rural Morocco came together to shut down the water pipeline to Africa’s biggest silver mine, in order to stop it drying out the community’s almond groves and destroying their oasis. Filmed eight years later, Amussu follows the villagers as they consider an ongoing resistance cobbled together from the few means at their disposal: songs, weekly assemblies, a flimsy camera, a film festival and endless ingenuity.
Folk Film Gathering 2021
click to view poster
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Wend Kuuni
Gaston Kaboré | Burkina Faso | 1982
Set in precolonial Africa during the time of the Mossi Empire, Gaston Kaboré’s feature debut follows the story of Wend Kuuni, a young boy who has lost the ability to speak. Found lying near-dead in the dirt, Wend Kuuni is adopted by local villagers and given a new home. Underneath his new life, however, lies a deep, unspoken trauma. With the help of his playful adopted sister Pughneere, will Wend Kuuni be able to face the darkness in his past, and find his voice again? The first feature film to be made in Burkina Faso, ‘Wend Kuuni’ draws from African oral tradition to create a powerful cinematic fable.
Wend Kuuni was presented with the kind support of Africa in Motion.
Set in precolonial Africa during the time of the Mossi Empire, Gaston Kaboré’s feature debut follows the story of Wend Kuuni, a young boy who has lost the ability to speak. Found lying near-dead in the dirt, Wend Kuuni is adopted by local villagers and given a new home. Underneath his new life, however, lies a deep, unspoken trauma. With the help of his playful adopted sister Pughneere, will Wend Kuuni be able to face the darkness in his past, and find his voice again? The first feature film to be made in Burkina Faso, ‘Wend Kuuni’ draws from African oral tradition to create a powerful cinematic fable.
Wend Kuuni was presented with the kind support of Africa in Motion.
Buud Yam
Gaston Kaboré | Burkina Faso | 1997
In a moment of remarkable cinematic continuity, ‘Buud Yaam’ picks up the story of Wend Kuuni and his adopted sister Pughneere 14 years later, featuring the same actors and locations as Gaston Kaboré’s debut feature. Whilst nearly two decades have passed, Wend Kuuni is still ill at ease in his adopted home and remains a source of tension within his community. When Pughneere is struck down by a mysterious illness, Wend Kuuni is faced with a perilous journey across Africa to find the only man who can save her. Drawing on a masterful use of colour, camera work and landscape, ‘Buud Yam’ is one of the great films of world cinema.
Buud Yam was presented with the kind support of Africa in Motion.
In a moment of remarkable cinematic continuity, ‘Buud Yaam’ picks up the story of Wend Kuuni and his adopted sister Pughneere 14 years later, featuring the same actors and locations as Gaston Kaboré’s debut feature. Whilst nearly two decades have passed, Wend Kuuni is still ill at ease in his adopted home and remains a source of tension within his community. When Pughneere is struck down by a mysterious illness, Wend Kuuni is faced with a perilous journey across Africa to find the only man who can save her. Drawing on a masterful use of colour, camera work and landscape, ‘Buud Yam’ is one of the great films of world cinema.
Buud Yam was presented with the kind support of Africa in Motion.
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Flyer page 1
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Flyer page 2
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Flyer page 3
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Flyer page 4
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
click to view
or scroll right for a synopsis of each film
Work, or To Whom Does the World Belong
Elisa Cepedal | Asturias | 2019
After the failure of their last strike, Asturian mine workers are faced between a critical choice between apathy or action. Elisa Cepedal’s debut feature documentary chronicles a powerful history of resistance among the mining communities of Asturias, an autonomous region of Northern Spain separated from the inner plateau by the Canatabrian Mountains. Adopting a daring, innovative approach to cinematic form that mixes aspects of observational documentary with a formally playful approach, Cepedal’s powerful film explores a community negotiating the decline of its core industry.
After the failure of their last strike, Asturian mine workers are faced between a critical choice between apathy or action. Elisa Cepedal’s debut feature documentary chronicles a powerful history of resistance among the mining communities of Asturias, an autonomous region of Northern Spain separated from the inner plateau by the Canatabrian Mountains. Adopting a daring, innovative approach to cinematic form that mixes aspects of observational documentary with a formally playful approach, Cepedal’s powerful film explores a community negotiating the decline of its core industry.
Silence
Pat Collins | Ireland | 2012
Hired as a sound technician to find and record places free of manmade sounds, a young man (Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde) travels back to Ireland for the first time in 15 years, finding himself drawn back to the mountains, bogs and lakes of Connemara where he grew up. Through a series of conversations and encounters Eoghan is drawn back to a place of deep personal significance. Blurring the boundary between documentary and fiction, Pat Collins’ meditative feature explores a powerful sense of place, and the deeply- rooted relationship between a young man and the landscape around him.
Hired as a sound technician to find and record places free of manmade sounds, a young man (Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde) travels back to Ireland for the first time in 15 years, finding himself drawn back to the mountains, bogs and lakes of Connemara where he grew up. Through a series of conversations and encounters Eoghan is drawn back to a place of deep personal significance. Blurring the boundary between documentary and fiction, Pat Collins’ meditative feature explores a powerful sense of place, and the deeply- rooted relationship between a young man and the landscape around him.
What Happened Here
Amber Collective | England | 2020
On August 24th 1984 - six months into the British miners’ strike - 2000 policemen descended on a small colliery village in County Durham with the aim of getting one man across the picket line. The community of Easington thus found themselves under occupation. Thirty-five years later, the latest film by Tyneside’s Amber Collective looks back upon the events of 1984-85, focussing in particular on the efforts of a number of remarkable women to keep Easington fed during the miner’s strike. Using photography, archive footage and contemporary interviews with community members, Amber explore what happened through the eyes and words of the community. Framing the past within the present, ‘What Happened Here’ is a powerful testament to the dignity, resilience and solidarity of a community under unimaginable pressure.
On August 24th 1984 - six months into the British miners’ strike - 2000 policemen descended on a small colliery village in County Durham with the aim of getting one man across the picket line. The community of Easington thus found themselves under occupation. Thirty-five years later, the latest film by Tyneside’s Amber Collective looks back upon the events of 1984-85, focussing in particular on the efforts of a number of remarkable women to keep Easington fed during the miner’s strike. Using photography, archive footage and contemporary interviews with community members, Amber explore what happened through the eyes and words of the community. Framing the past within the present, ‘What Happened Here’ is a powerful testament to the dignity, resilience and solidarity of a community under unimaginable pressure.
The Secret of Roan Inish
John Sayles | USA | 1994
In Celtic mythology, a selkie is a seal that can shed its skin to become human. A magical cinematic reimagining of selkie stories, ‘The Secret of Roan Inish’ tells the story of Fiona, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents in the 1940s, in their small Irish fishing village. There she hears the story of her long-lost brother Jamie, who was stolen by the sea and now lives with the seals. As Fiona wades deeper into the secrets of her past, will she unravel the mystery of Roan Inish and reunite her family? A sublime work of magical realism, John Sayles’ film is one of the great folk tales of world cinema.
In Celtic mythology, a selkie is a seal that can shed its skin to become human. A magical cinematic reimagining of selkie stories, ‘The Secret of Roan Inish’ tells the story of Fiona, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents in the 1940s, in their small Irish fishing village. There she hears the story of her long-lost brother Jamie, who was stolen by the sea and now lives with the seals. As Fiona wades deeper into the secrets of her past, will she unravel the mystery of Roan Inish and reunite her family? A sublime work of magical realism, John Sayles’ film is one of the great folk tales of world cinema.
Il Dono
Michelangelo Frammartino | Italy | 2003
In Michelangelo Frammartino’s near wordless first feature, an elderly farmer befriends a woman believed by her family to be possessed, in a small, ageing community in which young people are slowly disappearing to the city. Finding moments of luminous beauty in the rhythms and routines of a community life, ‘Il Dono’ masterfully blurs the boundary between drama and documentary. Led by a cast of non-actors, and driven by the same visionary poetry and humour that Frammartino later brought to the award- winning Il Quattro Volte, ‘Il Dono’ is a gentle yet profound look at the gradual depopulation of a small town in the Calabrian Mountains.
In Michelangelo Frammartino’s near wordless first feature, an elderly farmer befriends a woman believed by her family to be possessed, in a small, ageing community in which young people are slowly disappearing to the city. Finding moments of luminous beauty in the rhythms and routines of a community life, ‘Il Dono’ masterfully blurs the boundary between drama and documentary. Led by a cast of non-actors, and driven by the same visionary poetry and humour that Frammartino later brought to the award- winning Il Quattro Volte, ‘Il Dono’ is a gentle yet profound look at the gradual depopulation of a small town in the Calabrian Mountains.
Henry Glassie: Field Work
Pat Collins | Ireland | 2021
“We are each one of us individuals [and yet] we are all of us members of society”.
Spanning half a century, celebrated American folklorist Henry Glassie has dedicated his life’s work to illuminating the folk art made by communities around the world. Part- portrait of Glassie and part-meditation upon his work, Field Work is an immersive and meditative film set among the rituals and rhythms of working artists across Brazil, Turkey, North Carolina and Ireland. Lyrical and moving, Pat Collins resonant documentary seeks ultimately to illuminate the ‘inescapable complexity’ Glassie saw between the community and the individual.
“We are each one of us individuals [and yet] we are all of us members of society”.
Spanning half a century, celebrated American folklorist Henry Glassie has dedicated his life’s work to illuminating the folk art made by communities around the world. Part- portrait of Glassie and part-meditation upon his work, Field Work is an immersive and meditative film set among the rituals and rhythms of working artists across Brazil, Turkey, North Carolina and Ireland. Lyrical and moving, Pat Collins resonant documentary seeks ultimately to illuminate the ‘inescapable complexity’ Glassie saw between the community and the individual.
Acceptable Levels
Belfast Film Workshop / Frontroom | Northern Ireland | 1983
A BBC film crew is interviewing what they consider to be a typical Catholic family in the Divis Flats in Belfast when the news comes in a child known to the family has been hit by a plastic bullet fired by a British soldier. The British army, however, contests this version of events. Back in London, the producer and researcher editing the footage wrestle with how to present the incident, and with their responsibility to the family they filmed. The first fiction feature to be made under the British Workshop Declaration of the 1980s, ‘Acceptable Levels’ is a powerful meditation the ethics of filmmaking with working class communities, and presents a still-resonant critique of the mainstream media.
A BBC film crew is interviewing what they consider to be a typical Catholic family in the Divis Flats in Belfast when the news comes in a child known to the family has been hit by a plastic bullet fired by a British soldier. The British army, however, contests this version of events. Back in London, the producer and researcher editing the footage wrestle with how to present the incident, and with their responsibility to the family they filmed. The first fiction feature to be made under the British Workshop Declaration of the 1980s, ‘Acceptable Levels’ is a powerful meditation the ethics of filmmaking with working class communities, and presents a still-resonant critique of the mainstream media.
Aquarius
Kleber Mendonça Filho | Brazil | 2016
65-year old music critic Clara (Sônia Braga) is the last remaining resident of the Aquarius building in Recife. Strong-willed and defiant, Clara has survived cancer and the death of her husband, yet now faces another battle when property developers seek to remove her from her apartment. Who will win the battle of wills that ensues? A celebration of powerful womanhood and a resonant critique of urban gentrification, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s (‘Neighbouring Sounds’, ‘Bacurau’) second feature is a rich, humorous tale of survival and resistance.
65-year old music critic Clara (Sônia Braga) is the last remaining resident of the Aquarius building in Recife. Strong-willed and defiant, Clara has survived cancer and the death of her husband, yet now faces another battle when property developers seek to remove her from her apartment. Who will win the battle of wills that ensues? A celebration of powerful womanhood and a resonant critique of urban gentrification, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s (‘Neighbouring Sounds’, ‘Bacurau’) second feature is a rich, humorous tale of survival and resistance.
Atanarjuat - The Fast Runner
Zacharius Kunuk | Nunavut | 2001
Drawing from Inuit oral culture and a story he first heard from his mother, Zacharius Kunuk’s Camera D’Or-winning debut feature is an epic narrative of a community confronting an ancient evil. Atanarjuat is the fastest runner in Igloolik, who finds himself falling in love with the gentle Atuat. Yet Atuat is betrothed to Uki, a dangerous young man whose family has become corrupted by a terrifying darkness. Ultimately the rivalry between Atuat and Uki will lead to a hazardous chase across the Canadian Arctic, and to a climactic reckoning wherein the community must come together to face its past. Made collectively by Isuma TV with local communities in Igloolik, ‘Atanarjuat’ is powerful statement of Inuit vitality and dignity, and a visionary work of cinema.
Drawing from Inuit oral culture and a story he first heard from his mother, Zacharius Kunuk’s Camera D’Or-winning debut feature is an epic narrative of a community confronting an ancient evil. Atanarjuat is the fastest runner in Igloolik, who finds himself falling in love with the gentle Atuat. Yet Atuat is betrothed to Uki, a dangerous young man whose family has become corrupted by a terrifying darkness. Ultimately the rivalry between Atuat and Uki will lead to a hazardous chase across the Canadian Arctic, and to a climactic reckoning wherein the community must come together to face its past. Made collectively by Isuma TV with local communities in Igloolik, ‘Atanarjuat’ is powerful statement of Inuit vitality and dignity, and a visionary work of cinema.
Amussu
Nadir Bouhmouch | Morocco | 2019
Made collectively with the Imider community in southeast Morocco, Nadir Bouhmouch’s rousing documentary chronicles a courageous act of community resistance. In 2011, the women, men and children of the indigenous Amazigh community of Imider in rural Morocco came together to shut down the water pipeline to Africa’s biggest silver mine, in order to stop it drying out the community’s almond groves and destroying their oasis. Filmed eight years later, Amussu follows the villagers as they consider an ongoing resistance cobbled together from the few means at their disposal: songs, weekly assemblies, a flimsy camera, a film festival and endless ingenuity.
Made collectively with the Imider community in southeast Morocco, Nadir Bouhmouch’s rousing documentary chronicles a courageous act of community resistance. In 2011, the women, men and children of the indigenous Amazigh community of Imider in rural Morocco came together to shut down the water pipeline to Africa’s biggest silver mine, in order to stop it drying out the community’s almond groves and destroying their oasis. Filmed eight years later, Amussu follows the villagers as they consider an ongoing resistance cobbled together from the few means at their disposal: songs, weekly assemblies, a flimsy camera, a film festival and endless ingenuity.
live events: filmmakers 2021
Our 2021 online programme featured a series of live conversations between some of the world’s most significant filmmakers, who share certain aspects of perspective and approach to filmmaking. The discussions were based around the possibility of a people’s cinema. See the results below...
live events: MUSICIANS 2021
Alongside our filmmaker conversations and film screenings, The Folk Film Gathering 2021 featured a series of live conversations between musicians from different parts of the world, with connections to the filmmakers. These conversations featured songs, stories and discussions, and were hosted by the Traditional Music Forum’s David Francis.
Amber Collective (Tyneside) in conversation with Frontroom and Belfast Film Workshop (UK)
Folk Film Gathering 2021
John Sayles (USA) in conversation with Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil)
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Gaston Kaboré (Burkina Faso) in conversation with Zacharius Kunuk (Inuit community, Canadian Arctic) - part 1
Folk Film Gathering 2021
Gaston Kaboré (Burkina Faso) in conversation with Zacharius Kunuk (Inuit community, Canadian Arctic) - part 2
Folk Film Gathering 2021