Filming completed for unique farming documentary

A French film-maker, based in North East England, has completed filming a portrait of the remote, challenging work of sheep-farming in the high Pennines.

Magali Pettier is now editing more than 60 hours of footage into a feature-length documentary, after filming over 18 months with an Upper Teesdale tenant farmer, his family and their stock. She is gathering donors and sponsors to help complete the project.

Magali, a former fellow of DigitalCity based at Teesside University, is also being supported by the University with the project.

She knew from her own family background in Brittany that farming is tough, with total commitment for little financial return, but France does not have tenant farmers, so Magali wondered why anyone would choose to do it.

'My quest revealed that for some people, despite the difficulties, upland farming is not only attractive but compulsive – hence the film’s title Addicted to Sheep,' she said. Her inspiration came from two landmark French documentaries, 'Etre et avoir', about a small rural school, and 'La Vie Moderne' with farmers in remote countryside.

Through Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services Ltd, she met Tom and Kay Hutchinson and their three school-age children on the Raby Estate in County Durham. She filmed them at work and play over the seasons, capturing action among stunning changes of scenery and weather with a quiet observational style.

Her film will not be a ‘celebrity farmer’ show but the record of an authentic family and their pedigree Swaledales, sharing excitement and set-backs. It reveals a world difficult to witness up close, one that visitors celebrate but sometimes take for granted.

Magali said: 'It was important for me to capture opinions about living and working in this area from people of all ages and so I also filmed at the local primary school and within the wider community at sales and sheep shows.'

This Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has significant levels of social and economic disadvantage, where average income can be £12,600 a year.

Project Officer at UTASS Lucy Jenkins said: 'I have no doubt that when completed, the film will offer fundamental insights and help to raise understanding of the essential role hill farmers play in our national life. Not only do they contribute to our food economy, these farmers are also the custodians of some of Britain’s most celebrated landscapes, maintaining the hedgerows, walls and fields that are synonymous with our national identity. This film will rightly celebrate their character and commitment.'

North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Project Development Officer, Rebecca Barrett, added: 'Human settlement in the North Pennines has evolved in intimate association with the landscape. A small number of farmers are managing custodians of some of the richest wildlife habitats remaining in England.'

DigitalCity Fellows receive up to £4,000 to cover their living costs while they develop their business product or idea and Magali is collaborating with another former fellow Jan Cawood, of Tin Man Films, to complete the film. She is also receiving assistance from Matt Dennis, the Creative Director of Teesside University’s School of Arts and Media.

David Jeffries, Director of DigitalCity, said: 'Addicted to Sheep promises to be a stunning film shot in a beautiful part of the country.

'We are delighted to have been able to help Magali with her film and also put her in touch with Jan, as we believe that collaboration is the key to a successful digital economy in the Tees Valley.'

As an independent film-maker, Magali has attracted significant industry recognition for the quality and ambition of her project. She had upfront funding and mentoring from Northern Film and Media after a competitive pitch at the UK’s premier event for documentary makers – Sheffield Independent Documentary Film Festival. On the work-in-progress, the makers of The Moo Man (a UK documentary that was the surprise hit at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival) said 'we want to see more' and Magali’s informal mentor, the Emmy and BAFTA Award- winning director Patrick Collerton, praised her cinematography.

Magali is now condensing her portrait into about 60-80 minutes. For the final editing stages, she is inviting like-minded donors who have an interest in the film-making process to help bring attention to an exceptional way of life for a typical farming family.

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Click here for more information about Addicted to Sheep.