As is tradition from us here at Black Bark Films... a very happy (albeit belated) New Year!

A little late we know, but we wanted to wait and share the exciting news with you about our latest film The Red Dress, which is currently in production. Until March 12th we’re running a crowdfunder to get us to Mexico, to begin shooting the first part of this incredible journey. For over 10 years, 140 people from 27 different countries have worked on this dress. It transcends borders and brings disparate communities together, empowering the embroiderers and creating connection across the world… all on one piece of fabric.

So far we have raised almost 30% of our target and would love your support to make this important film a reality. You can read more about the project and donate here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-red-dress.

We would also like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported Black Bark Films in 2019. We were very excited to have our work with North Devon Moving Image featured on BBC Spotlight, to have chatted with Yaz Brien twice for the Women’s Outlook show on Ujima fm, and once with the Real Women team on BCFM - and to be asked by St Werburgh’s City Farm to speak at their Summer Fayre discussing how we approach filmmaking in a collaborative way. A big thanks to the team at Shambala Festival for featuring our non-gendered menstruation venue The Red Sea Travel Agency on their blog, talking about how our films are tools for compassion. 

2020 is already looking exciting, beginning the year with shooting a crowdfunder film for Brithdir Mawr in Pembrokeshire, editing a promo for Kenyan based yoga safari holiday provider Kabisa and preparing for The Red Dress shoot in March. A collection of shorts made for Off The Record’s Freedom Youth were displayed in February as part of a month long exhibition for LGBTQ+ month at the MShed, and later this year we will be heading up to Dumfries with our feature doc In Our Hands. We have various projects in development, including a short on land and trespass, a feature doc with farmer Gerald Miles (from In Our Hands), a menstruation themed short for our friends at the Real Period Project, and a pro bono project for the folk at Borderlands, amongst others. 

As always, do get in touch if you have any ideas up your sleeves as we’re always looking to collaborate on projects that we deeply care about, be it crowdfunders, promos, documentaries or providing filmmaking workshops for young people and other groups. 

We wish you all a happy and fruitful 2020 and hope to see your faces again soon!

Below are some of our (many) highlights from 2019

  • We started the year exploring drag and the female gaze with performance artist Viki Brown on Hyperfem as part of her residency at Trinity centre in Bristol.

  • Winning a commission for Down on the Farm producing One Acre a 5 minute short with young female farmer Liv James of Down Farm, which is now on display in Barnstaple Museum, as part of a permanent collection. 

  • Exploring menopause and identity with performance artist Kat Lyons on her spoken word theatre project Dry Season creating both a research and development short and promotional film.

  • Producing a crowdfunder film for our friends at the Community Kitchen in Bristol, who now have their new kitchen up and running. We are so very proud of them and so grateful to help such an amazing project! 

  • In Our Hands is continuing to do the rounds at festivals and community screenings, landing the AgroJury Film award in Slovakia in 2019. You can watch it here for free, and the subtitled versions in Spanish, French and German are also available here. 

  • Spending time with Off The Record’s LGBTQ+ Freedom Youth group, to make a series of shorts celebrating 25 years of the group. We were endlessly inspired by the courage, confidence and acceptance of these young people.

  • We began working with Lifebeat around the transformational power of youth leadership, creating promotional films for the project and working collaboratively with more inspiring young people to create youth led, film based responses to issues around identity and mental health.

  • We were back at Shambala festival with The Red Sea Travel Agency - a co-creation between Black Bark Films and No More Taboo. It's the first gender inclusive, dedicated menstruation space to be held at a UK festival.

  • A second stop motion animation featuring our favourite potatoes for the Sims Hill Crowdfunder to fund an apprentice grower. 

  • Our first ever music video for our friends Fitty Gomash, which included filming a 300 strong ceilidh at Oxford Real Farming Conference 2019. 

  • And finally we began small business coaching with the powerful Esme Filsinger. We cannot recommend her services enough and look forward to growing through 2020 with her guidance and expertise!