Young filmmakers from across the region have been exploring the legacy of the Peterloo Massacre as part of the HOME BFI Academy 2018.
The BFI Film Academy is an intensive film training course for passionate filmmakers aged 16-19 funded by the British Film Institute and delivered by providers across the UK.
HOME have been running the film academy course for seven years and were excited to partner with Peterloo 2019 to offer this year’s participants a unique filmmaking opportunity.
The partnership between HOME and Manchester Histories is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund to mark the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre.
Filmmaking has been identified as one of the ways of exploring the themes of the Peterloo Massacre from a contemporary perspective, looking at comparative issues of freedom of speech, democracy and protest 200 years on.
The Peterloo Massacre began as a peaceful demonstration in Manchester for rights and representation with thousands gathering to express their views; the young filmmakers have been looking at what freedom of speech means to them in current times.
Karen Shannon, Chief Executive of Manchester Histories which is leading Peterloo 2019, says, “The HOME BFI Film Academy project is one of the different and creative ways that we’ll be exploring the legacy of the Peterloo Massacre 200 years after this watershed moment, the repercussions of which are as relevant today as ever. The film that the young people have worked on explores the themes that are pertinent to their lives and those of their peers.”
The film was shot on the streets of Manchester and follows the journey of a young dancer, with the students developing the script and storylines around notions of freedom of expression and ideas of democracy.
They took it in turns to take on key roles such as the art department, camera, sound, assistant directing and directing and took part in workshops that focused on techniques such as editing, mixing and grading. They were also given the opportunity to work with a historian, and the final workshop culminated in meeting industry professionals to talk about different careers in the film sector, including the film distributors from Mike Leigh’s Peterloo film.
The film will premiere on 3 December 2018 at HOME in Manchester and will be available to view on both the HOME and Manchester Histories websites. It will also be submitted to international film festivals taking place throughout 2019.
