Film shines spotlight on Northumbrian traditions

A North East filmmaker is turning the lens on Northumberland’s living heritage with a new feature-length documentary capturing a year of customs, rituals and community traditions.

Gatherings Northumberland, produced by independent production company TEN80 Productions, is being filmed across an entire calendar year by Northumberland-born director Dave Brewis.

A £25,000 public Crowdfunder will launch on Wednesday, October 28, to support post-production, including editing, grading and archive work, ahead of the film’s planned release in spring 2027.

Dave said: “Gatherings Northumberland is ultimately a film about people and place. Northumberland rarely receives the focus it deserves nationally or internationally, yet it is an extraordinary part of the world with unparalleled history and remarkable depth.”

The documentary follows a journey described as “once around the sun via the north of England”, beginning with the Tar-Bar’l celebrations in Allendale on New Year’s Eve.

Other traditions featured include the Blessing of the Salmon Fishing at Norham, Alnwick’s Shrovetide Football, the Northern Cross pilgrimage to Holy Island and Ovingham Goose Fair.

The film will also visit Whalton’s annual Baal fire, Glendale Show and the North East Folklore Society’s Harvest Gathering, with Northumbrian Pipes providing a recurring musical motif.

Dave added: “I felt it was time to make a film which properly represents what goes on in Northumberland.

“It’s not simply a region of historic relics strewn across stunning landscape – it’s a place of extraordinary customs and folklore, still practised by communities and still evolving.

“The idea of living heritage is at the heart of the film.

“I wanted to explore the annual customs, seasonal rituals and ancient games that continue to bring communities together.”

Filmed without a presenter or voiceover, the observational documentary will instead allow those who maintain the traditions to tell their own stories, supported by previously unseen archive material.

Dave added: “By filming over one entire year and allowing the communities themselves a voice, I hope to capture what these events mean to people today – and explore the sense of community, place and belonging so present in the North East of England.”

The project follows Brewis’s six-part Gatherings television series, released in 2025 and now available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV, which explored folk traditions from across Britain.

TEN80 Productions has funded filming and production so far, with any Crowdfunder money raised beyond the £25,000 post-production target set to support wider distribution.

Initial screenings are planned across the North East, including the Tyne Valley Film Festival, Morpeth Gathering and North East Folklore Week, before wider national and international distribution.

Dave added: “Ultimately, my intention is to make an observational documentary that shines a light on the region, acts as an authentic mirror, and gives Northumberland the attention it deserves.”

To find out more about Gatherings Northumberland and watch the project’s Sizzle Reel, click here.

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