Member Article

Farming documentary smashes fund-raising target

Two filmmakers who are documenting a year in the life of a North-East farming family have thanked backers who have funded their film.

Following a successful crowd-funding campaign where they smashed their £7k target, Magali Pettier and Jan Cawood are now able to complete editing their feature-length documentary Addicted to Sheep.

During their fundraising campaign, they managed to raise a total of £8,139 attracting more than 145 backers, including an award of £3,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund through the Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership.

Half of the donations were from overseas, with donations coming from North and South America, Australia and Europe.

Magali and Jan are both former fellows of DigitalCity, based at Teesside University, and are being supported by the University with the project.

The film documents the life of Tom and Kay Hutchinson and their three school age children as they carry out the remote, challenging work of sheep farming in Forest in Teesdale, County Durham.

Magali and Jan are now editing more than 60 hours of footage into a feature length documentary which they hope to release later this year.

More than half of those who contributed to the fundraising campaign were unknown to Magali and Jan with a last minute surge from wool enthusiasts in America which pushed them over the target with a few days to spare.

The fundraising campaign is still being kept open to contribute to the additional costs of festival submissions, distribution and promotion.

Magali said: “We’re absolutely amazed at the response to our fundraising campaign and want to say a big thank you to everybody who contributed for their generosity.

“It’s great news we have reached our edit target but if we can achieve a higher goal in this campaign right now, that just means a finished film without seeking out other funds further down the line.

“It means we could share the finished film all the sooner with the participants who have already waited four years to see it.

“It also means we will be able to submit Addicted to Sheep to international film festivals with the care and attention it deserves, to give it the best chance to reach its audience worldwide.”

Heart of Teesdale project manager Alex Kaars Sijpesteijn said: “The Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership through its Heritage Lottery Funding is delighted to award £3,500 towards the completion of the Addicted to Sheep documentary.

“The film complements our own work in raising the profile of Teesdale and highlights this important part of our cultural heritage.”

DigitalCity Fellows receive up to £4,000 to cover their living costs while they develop their business product or idea.

David Jeffries, head of DigitalCity, said: “This is a fascinating project and I am really looking forward to seeing the finished film. Judging by the fantastic response to the crowd-funding appeal it looks set to be extremely popular.

“We are delighted that DigitalCity was able to give Magali and Jan the help to get their businesses off the ground.”

To find out more about how you can support Addicted to Sheep, visit http://www.addictedtosheep.com/supportus/.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Teesside University .