Films
The South West Film and TV Archive (SWFTA) holds nearly 130,000 films and tapes dating from the start of film making in the 1880’s to the present day, covering all aspects of life in the South West of England. One of the challenges of moving into the digital age is to keep this archive footage accessible as old technologies become obsolete. One of the outcomes of the Movie Bus Project will be to ensure that generations to come are able to access a part of this important record of our history on a modern format.
The first film is ‘A Tale of Two Rivers’, and is about the Taw and Torridge estuary. It includes footage of the Bideford Bridge collapse of 1968, the gravelmen on the banks, the dangers of being a seaman, and grand shipbuilding projects that Appledore has seen such as the Nunsuch and the Golden Hinde.
The second film is in keeping with the spirit of the North Devon Festival which is one of the project partners, and is about local customs and celebrations – and does North Devon know how to celebrate! ‘Sootbombs and Blazing Barrels’features rare and exciting 1930’s footage of Lynmouth Lifeboat Day, Barum Old Fair and Carnival, to Holsworthy Ale Tasting, Hatherleigh tar barrels, Westward Ho! potwalloping, the Torrington May Fair and chasing the Earl of Tyrone in Combe Martin, there’s something that everyone in the area will find of interest.
‘The Beast, the Hunt & the Harvest’ has exciting scenes from the hunt for the Beast of Exmoor, as well as a surprising conclusion. There is a controversial debate about hunting, that was as fierce sixty years ago as it is today, and the powerful images of farming in days gone by will surprise you with their beauty. Don’t be surprised if you find a tear springs to your eye.
‘Hippies & Hooligans – Yesterday’s Westcountry Youth’ is a hilarious journey into the lives of young people fifty or sixty years ago. Attitudes and expectations will surprise and shock you. Each time we have screening this film the cinema fills with laughter at the comic scenes from yesterday’s youth.
‘North of the River, South of the Sea’ is a look at two of North Devon’s most important towns; Ilfracombe and Braunton. Watch steam trains arrive in both stations, with nostalgia and controvosy in equal measure as the population discuss a future of the town as seen in the past. Containing footage from 1898 through to 1989, this compilation covers the widest timespan of all our films.
‘From Hartland Point to Lundy Light’ is our very exciting new film about the North Devon Coast. Thanks to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, we have been able to rescue footage that has not been seen for many years. You’ll get a sense of the foreboding that accompanied the new motorway, you’ll be amused to see motor cars trying to access parts of the coast that we never designed as such, and the heartening scenes of community life engender a strong nostalgia for times gone by.
Altogether, there will be eight 20-minute films created as a result of the project. Please get in touch if you have ideas or footage lurking in your attic.
MUSICIANS NEEDED!
Some footage from SWFTA will have a soundtrack and other footage will be silent. We are looking for musicians to contribute to these films, and we will also record the response from some members of the audience, with this audio record contributing to a soundtrack for other compilations. In this way the project will be a continuation of history, and will help to preserve both the history contained within SWFTA’s films and the history of the age that we live in.
A more contemporary aspect of the project will be the creation of films inspired by the archive footage. School groups, community groups and aspiring film-makers will be given the opportunity to make films about the present as if they were speaking to the future, some of which will be able to be premiered in the Movie Bus itself!
