The 13th Parish Film Festival is back again this year at the Jersey Art Centre, from 18 to 24 May.
One of the highlights of this year’s festival is ‘A Dairy Story’ a documentary by Ian Findlay about a more humane method of raising cows set in the stunning countryside of southwest Scotland. It follows the story of dairy farmers Wilma and David Findlay as they risk everything to challenge industry norms and implement the first large-herd example of cow-with-calf dairy farming on a commercial scale. A Dairy Story shows how changing a farming system changes everything; from the lives of the animals to the wellbeing of the farmers, and perhaps even the future of dairy farming itself.
The film will be introduced by its producer, Lorna Young, and the Head of Compassion in World Farming UK, Anthony Field. Local new cattle farmer India Thompson will host a Q&A with Lorna and Anthony after the film and share her experience of trialling this technique with her own cows.
The debate afterwards should be of interest to anyone involved with cattle farming and regenerative agriculture.
Úna Langlois, programme director for the festival, said: ‘We are delighted that the festival has grown so much that we can now fill almost an entire week with the best of local and international feature films, short films and documentaries.
‘One of the founding aims of 13th Parish Film Festival was to serve as an annual showcase for Jersey film makers, so we are delighted that this year we can present two programmes of Jersey and Guernsey shorts, several of which engage with Jèrriais and Jersey culture. Plus, we premiere the first feature length Jèrriais film ‘À Bétôt Goodbye?’ We are now more convinced than ever of the potential for the development of a vibrant filmmaking scene in Jersey.’
The festival is delighted to be able to present more international films than ever, including many that have won major awards at global film festivals such as Sundance, Venice and Cannes. There are also more international guests, masterclasses with renowned directors and several opportunities for audiences to engage and participate, such as the popular outdoor screenings by the ‘A Wall Is A Screen’ team from Hamburg and Film Luso – a celebration of Portuguese film and culture.
Moreover, there’s the Kino programme of short films made during the festival week — an important element of 13th Parish since its inception, thanks to the 13th Parish Festival friends from the Off-Courts Festival in Trouville, Normandy.
