FOLKY FILMOGRAPHY

The bleak, poetic life of a coastal coal gatherer. 

Set on the Northeast Coast where Barry (played by Ben Pearson) haunted by his past ekes out a harsh existence gathering sea coal from the windswept beaches of County Durham. With original poetry from Joseph S. Kelley and sound and music from Rupert Ludlow Philbrick. Sea Coal was filmed entirely using expired 16mm film stock which was hand processed by the director.

The English composer, folk song collector and country dancer George Butterworth was killed in 1916 at Pozières, France during the Battle of the Somme aged just 31. In the chaos of war Butterworth was buried where he fell and his remains were never subsequently identified.  

ALL MY LIFE'S BURIED HERE tells the story of George Butterworth's life and music from his earliest childhood to his final hours in the violent confusion of the trenches. We follow Butterworth on his forays collecting folk songs to discover what he found when he went out into rural England and how this informed his own music. We discover why Butterworth once described himself as a 'professional morris dancer', and explore what led him to destroy so many of his own compositions before he died. Tracing his journey to its tragic conclusion we go with Butterworth into the trenches of northern France where his participation in increasingly desperate battles on The Somme ultimately cost him his life.

George Butterworth was a leading member of a radical group of composers in the Edwardian years whose music was profoundly influenced by the traditional music of the English rural working class. On his death Butterworth left behind a glowing reputation and a handful of exceptional musical compositions, including such still-popular works as 'The Banks of Green Willow' and 'Rhapsody, 'A Shropshire Lad''. To his close friend Ralph Vaughan Williams he bequeathed his impressive personal collection of over 300 English folk songs, tunes and dances. Inevitably though since the time of his death Butterworth's life and music have suffered from what might be described as 'mythrepresentation': a beguiling mythology, outright misrepresentation, or both – wilful or otherwise.

Now, a century on and for the first time in a documentary film, with a treasure trove of never-before-seen archival material, evocative new footage, and using the testimony of his contemporaries, expert commentators and with music by a host of talented singers and musicians, it is time to tell George Butterworth's story, listen to his music afresh and reconsider his brief but remarkable life.

Folkies on Film is a presentation which takes a look through the (mostly) hidden history of your favourite folk stars' early (and not so early) appearances in TV shows and movies. (Think of it as sort of 'Where's Wally?' for folkies.)

From Martin Carthy's early appearance as a lift operator in an early-1960s B-movie to Thomas McCarthy's acclaimed turn in Call the Midwife, many legendary folk performers have popped up in unexpected places over the years. Jonny Mohun's presentation shines a light on the furtive folkies lurking in the dusty corners of TV shows and films.