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Cornish based awen productions cic will be turning back time once again with their Tre Project; Rediscovering Cornwall and Isles of Scilly through Archive Film where rare archive films will be given a contemporary twist at venues across Cornwall.

Barbara Santi, director of awen productions, explained "Tre is a Cornish word for home/homestead. Each event is tailor made for the venue and the location in which it is in. There will be some rare gems shedding light onto the region's rich cultural history. Specially selected material will make each event unique and will include a fascinating 1900's Great Western Railway Promotional film "Scenes in the Cornish Riviera" which takes you across the county promoting Cornwall as a new holiday destination. There is also some lovely 1930s / 40's themed archive featuring farming (harvest, Crying the neck, Croust), fishing, mining, Cornish Trades and Industries such as butter making and thatching. Along with the archive will be new locally made films using archive and exploring the theme of 'home'.

The screenings have been made possible with funding from Feast and Heritage Lottery Fund as well as support from Carn to Cove and South West Film & TV Archive.

The first event will be at the Liskerrett Centre on Fri 3 February and will have a special screening of "Oss Oss Wee Oss" about Padstow's ancient May Day Obby Oss festival. This beautiful 1953 film made by well-known folklorist Alan Lomax has recently been re-issued by the British Film Institute (BFI). On the night members of the current Padstow Old Oss party whose families are in the original film will take part in a rare Q&A - an evening not to be missed!

Friday 3 Feb Liskerrett Centre, Liskeard

Friday 16 March Nancegollan Village Hall

Saturday 17 March Helland Village Hall

Saturday 31 March Golant Village Hall

Saturday 14 April Praa Sands Community Centre

More venues are regularly being added for the Spring and there will also be a Summer / Autumn season so keep checking our website for up to date information of the films and where they will be screened. We are also always interested to bring the show to community groups and rural village halls so feel free to get in touch to find out how we can bring archive film to your community!

For prices, start time & further details: http://thetreproject.wordpress.com/

email: barbara@awen.org.uk

A unique event at this year’s Cornwall Film Festival will be held at the Lighthouse Cinema in Newquay, Saturday 5th November at 4.45pm.

Presenting the BFI and English Folk Dance & Song Society's new DVD compilation 'Here's a Health to the Barley Mow' - a 65 minute programme of rare and beautiful folk films from the BFI National Archive and Regional Film Archives showing some of the UK rich traditions of folk music, dance, customs and sport. Highlights include Doc Rowe's speedy sword dancing film, the extraordinary Burry Man of West Lothian and the fascinating 'Oss Oss Wee Oss' by Alan Lomax and Peter Kennedy filmed in 1953 about Padstow's Mayday celebrations.

The event Archive Film - Past, Present and Future is part of awen productions cic's The Tre Project - Rediscovering Cornwall & Isles of Scilly through Archive Film funded by HLF & Feast.  For full line up of films go to http://thetreproject.wordpress.com/.

Following the films, a Q&A session with Will Fowler (BFI), Doc Rowe (Folklorist), Barbara Santi (Director, awen productions cic) and a member of the Old Oss Party (Padstow May Day) will explore archive - its past, present and future and how communities can play an essential link in preserving culture and heritage.

Suitable for all ages. Saturday 5th November 2011. 4.45pm Lighthouse Cinema, Newquay

Entry : £5 or free if a festival weekend ticket holder.

For more info http://cornwallfilmfestival.com/

To enable the country to contribute, a unique channel on YouTube will be dedicated to the Britain In A Day Project. 

While the London Olympics fast approaches, a major documentary project called Britain In A Day is about to be filmed – by you.  Britain In A Day will be based upon Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Production Life In A Day, which was created through showing clips of occurrences from around the world on one particular day, July 24 2010. 

Everyone will be able to upload footage of something significant in their lives.  This footage will then be used to create a time capsule of Britain as well as a feature-length documentary, which will be screened next year on BBC Two.  The material uploaded should be the best samples of your rushes not an edited film.  

A dedicated team coordinated by Rosa Productions will run filmmaking workshops with people in different communities around the UK.  In Cornwall they will be partnering with awen productions cic to deliver the workshops and support the initiative.  There will also be a series of "how-to" films and guides supplied by the BBC and aimed at teaching anyone to use phones or cameras to record their day and how to upload their material. 

The workshop in Cornwall will be held on Saturday 22nd October 2011.  Venue/time tbc.  Booking essential.  We are looking for up to 30 people to attend - anyone can get involved but ideally we would like to reflect stories of Cornwall which have a 'coastal communities' theme so if you know any fishermen, surfers, lifeguards, coastal watch, RNLI members etc please let them know.

If you would like further information about Britain in a Day check out

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/10_october/05/britain.shtml 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/04/bbc-project-britain-one-day

or contact Barbara Santi

barbara@awen.org.uk

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The Tre Project – Rediscovering Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly through Archive Film will be exhibiting archive films at Royal Cornwall Museum from 8th October to 19th November 2011. 

Cornish wrestling in the 1950’s, Hayle Power stacks demolition in 1981, snowy days on Scilly in 1957 and Falmouth Tall Ships in 1967 are some of the Super 8 film delights on display which have been locally donated.  

Along with this is a rare 1930’s film collection held at the museum which will also be on display revealing Cornwall and it’s unique cultural heritage as you’ve never seen it before.  The material includes Cornish crafts and trades and fascinating footage of 91 year old Ben Little, the Cornish Wassailer.

Barbara Santi, Director of awen productions cic says “It has been a journey of discovery; looking beyond the veneer of the places we think we know so well yet uncovering an untold story through film.  One of these unexpected gems has been re-discovering The Major Gill collection held at Royal Cornwall Museum / South West Film & TV Archive and it gives me great pleasure in being able to screen this rare 1930’s material in this exhibition.  Alongside the footage we have Major Gill’s original lecture script he used during presentations of the work to the public in 1936.”

The exhibition brings together elements of the TRE project coupled with artefacts from Royal Cornwall Museum which reflect the films on view. 

Royal Cornwall Museum’s Exhibitions & Conservation Officer Laura Ratcliffe says “This is such a lovely opportunity for the museum to supplement the work that Barbara has been doing with our archive film footage with pieces from our collection. It is never possible to have all the objects out at once so exhibitions like this allow us to bring out infrequently seen parts of the museum collection. Included in the exhibition will be a recently conserved and mounted 'Obby 'Oss mask used by the Bate family in the annual Padstow May Day celebrations; a Cornish Wrestling trophy won by brothers Sidney and Reuben Chapman.”

Barbara continues, “As well as the exhibition I will be following in the footsteps of Major Gill and will give a talk about the material and the process of working with archive and communities.  This will be at RCM on Thurs 20th from 1pm – booking is essential.”

Look out for other events including Cornwall Film Festival special event of Tre / BFI screening on 5 November 2011.

For more information go to http://thetreproject.wordpress.com/ or http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/.  

Come and get your Hands on History!  For the past 4 weeks The Reel History of Britain has followed Melvyn Bragg as he meets people all around the country as they recount fascinating and surprising stories about how life in Britain used to be - told through archive film collections.

Each episode saw Melvyn visit a new location, in a mobile cinema, and focused on a different aspect of British life. The programme highlighted the enormous social changes that took place from 1900 onwards, building to a compelling social history of Britain.

To celebrate the climax of the series the BBC is holding a Reel History event at the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society in Falmouth. There will be great activities for all the family to try including watching archive films of the area, making your own moving images and sharing your memories of Cornwall on our memory wall.

On the Friday there will be a display of artefacts from the Bill Douglas Centre in Exeter, whose inspirational collection charts the history of the moving image.

There’ll be loads of local archive footage to watch, and best of all the whole event is FREE!

So come along and join us and discover more about your local history though film.

BBC Reel History

The Poly (Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society)

24 Church Street, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 3EG

http://www.thepoly.org/

Friday 7th October and Saturday 8th October 2011

10am to 5pm

www.bbc.co.uk/history

http://thetreproject.wordpress.com/

Using the latest equipment this workshop gives young people the basics to get out there and make films - from storyboarding to editing. It will be an action-packed day using creativity and technical skills that will give participants the knowledge and the confidence to make their own films.

This workshop is for 13 - 22 year olds and there is a maximum of 15 spaces available. The cost of this day-long workshop is £5. To book a place, please complete the form on the Cornwall Film Festival website http://cornwallfilmfestival.com/, you will then recieve an email to confirm your place. 

The brief is to make a film in a day. The film must include archive film. What's archive film? Well, its old cine footage of Cornwall from the 1930's - 1980's.

Date: Friday 4 November 2011

Location: Lower level of the Truro College Open Learning Centre adjacent to the Lighthouse Cinema in Newquay

Address: Open Learning Centre: The Old Chapel, Chapel Hill, Newquay, TR7 1ND. 

Time: 9.30am - 4pm 

Watch some archive films here http://vimeo.com/thetreproject

This workshop is funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, Feast and additional support from Truro College.

West Cornwall based awen productions cic will be turning back time once again with their  Tre Project – Rediscovering Cornwall and Isles of Scilly through Archive Film where rare archive films of the area will be given a contemporary twist.

 As part of Newlyn Arts Festival : Newlyn Art Gallery on Friday 23rd September. Doors open at 6.30pm.  Entry : Donations

 As part of Carn to Cove : Stithians Centre on Saturday 24th September at 6.45pm.

Prices: £7 adult, £6 concessions children free with a paying adult

Barbara Santi, director of awen productions, explained “Tre is a Cornish word for home/homestead.  We’re really excited about these events where we will be bringing out some rare gems from South West Film and TV Archive’s vaults. 

In Newlyn we’ll be showing films with a focus on West Cornwall’s fishing heritage.  One of these films is ‘Cornish Nets’ - a very special 1930’s black and white silent movie which doesn’t usually get the opportunity to be shown to the public.  It’s beautifully atmospheric, following the story of Cornish fishing villages in the Penzance bay area where, as the film caption says, ‘for generations the people have turned to the sea as a means of gaining a livelihood’. ”

For one night only ‘Cornish Nets’ will have its very own musical score as duo John Thomson & Martin Bowie will be performing live their unique blend of evocative post-impressionistic music to accompany the film.

In Stithians Centre which is part of Carn to Cove’s Autumn season, the programme includes a 1979 Westward report on ‘Hot Rocks’ the disused granite quarry at Stithians and 1978 footage of Stithians Show.  Rare 1930’s/1940’s archive will also be shown featuring the river Fal, farming, mining and Cornish Trades and Industries such as butter making and thatching. The evening also has a special photographic display from the archive of the Stithians History Society.

At both events new locally made films using archive exploring the theme of ‘home’ will also be screened.

The project is made possible with funding of £36,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Feast which enables Tre to continue for 3 years.  Commenting on the HLF award, Head of South West Nerys Watts said: “We were delighted to be able to support awen productions with this project.  These screenings are just a few in a series to be held throughout Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly which will help to reconnect people to their history, heritage, identity and culture, making the past accessible to new generations of local people and visitors alike.”

Watch out for other screenings across Cornwall including Royal Cornwall Museum and Cornwall Film Festival.

For the full line up and more information go to http://thetreproject.wordpress.com/

For info on the musicians go to http://www.martinbowie.com/

Still taken from Cornish Nets © SWFTA

Cornwall Council’s Safe Places Scheme has won the Diversity Achievement of the Year Award at this year’s Municipal Journal Local Government Achievement Awards - the local government equivalent of the Oscars.

The prestigious national awards, which are open to all local authorities across the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, are designed to recognise innovation and good practice, with winning entries also expected to demonstrate value for money and a positive impact on the lives of local people.

The DVD awen productions cic produced played a vital role in clinching the award in the highly competitive competition.

 "Just wanted to tell you about all the wonderful feedback we have received about the Safe Places film.  Everybody who has seen it is commenting on how well done it is at getting the message across.  We are now looking at ordering our second batch of 500!!!"

Magi Omlo-Coad, Cornwall Council

Watch it here: www.awen.org.uk/films/safe-places

Sunday 10th July at 7.30pm The British Legion St. Just

West Cornwall based community interest media company, awen productions cic, will be celebrating their recent funding success with a free archive film screening and live music at this years Lafrowda Festival.

Following the huge success of awen’s pilot Tre Project – Rediscovering Cornwall and Isles of Scilly through Archive Film, the company has now secured funding to continue for three more years thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund and Feast.

Barbara Santi, director of awen productions, explained “Tre is a Cornish word for home/homestead. Over the last 18 months we’ve been working with communities across Cornwall and Scilly using archive film to explore what its really like to live in the far West of the UK.  We’ve had 800 people participate during this time through coming to our events/screenings to participating in making films with us.  We’ve discovered so much amazing film archive, communities and their stories that we had to find a way to continue.  The next three years will reach new audiences with screenings and involve more people through celebrating in Cornwall’s rich screen heritage.”

With thanks to additional funding from Cornwall Community Foundation’s Active at 60 fund, the first of these events will take place this Sunday 10th July at 7.30pm, The British Legion St. Just where specially selected film material dating as far back as the 1930’s will shine a light on West Cornwall’s unique past. 

Barbara continues “There will be a particular focus on the St. Just and surrounding areas and things will include some rare South West Film & TV Archive’s 1930’s footage of ‘crying the neck’ on a farm at Towednack, haymaking, harvest, and ‘croust’.  There will also be some other lovely archive gems and the Premiere of some recently made Cornish short films.”

People of all ages are invited to the launch where they will be able to find out about awen’s plans and how the St. Just and surrounding areas can get involved.

And if that wasn’t enough music from accomplished accordion player Seamas Carey (The Busketeers and Kneehigh) will entertain people with his latest multi-media solo project “My Granny’s House”, a touching tale about his grandfather, painter Francis Hewlett who was head of painting at Falmouth Art School for 20 years. http://seamascareymusic.bandcamp.com/album/my-grannys-house

Suitable for all ages.  Free entry.

For more information go to http://thetreproject.wordpress.com/

We've just heard that we have been successful in a Research & Development grant from South West Screen's 'Out of Archive' Fund http://www.swscreen.co.uk/news/out-of-archive.html.

The grant will allow us to develop an archive based App...watch this space for more info over the next months.