The Horse; his industry, our industry - Film Launch

The Sleeping Giant Foundation are pleasd to announce the launch of the film 'The Horse; his industry, our industry' which has been produced and directed by local film-maker, Eleanor Flaherty, as the final project for her MA in Media Productions at Lampeter University.

Eleanor set out to make a film to celebrate the role of the working horse in South Powys, through stories from people with lived experience of working with horses in the mines, on the land and within our community. With the SGF's strong connections in the local community and a previously successful Oral History Project, it made sense for her to work in partnership with us.

Funding was secured from Glasu, to support the research, filming and post production, but the project could not have been completed without the contribution of over 200 hours of volunteer time by members of the SGF and the local community. The project has also received help from Big Pit: National Coal Museum, St Fagan's: National History Museum, The Pit Pony Sanctuary and National Showcaves Centre for Wales who freely gave of their time during the project.

With support from Glasu, copies of the film have been sent to all secondary schools in Powys, all local primary schools, libraries in South Powys and to the National Library of Wales. Ystradgynlais Library has two copies available to the public. One as a reference, to be viewed in the library and another copy which is available on loan.

The film was launched at Penpont, near Sennybridge at the end of November, in their newly converted Stable building, which was not only apt for this film, but is a very beautiful venue.

Eleanor is already planning the next community film, of local myths and legends, with storyteller Owen Staton. We look forward to working with her again in the future.

Tawe Tales - On DVD

Storyteller Owen Staton has also started working on a series of short films on the stories of the area with local film-maker Eleanor Flaherty. Below is a taster film with images from pupils at Cwmtwrch Primary School, who were inspired by a story telling session from Owen.

Y Fari Lwyd

Mari Lwyd swept out the old year and brought in the new with mischief and enthusiasm wherever she went in 2008. With a group of singers in traditional costume, she visited local Inns and sang her way up and down Tawe Uchaf accompanied by the talented accordionist, Mr. Clive Osborne.

In partnership with Menter Brycheiniog and Maesyfed, the SGF hopes to consider reviving other Welsh traditions, and looks forward to new challenges and, of course, lots of fun!

Oral History

The Sleeping Giant Foundation's Oral History Project has been designed to record the memories of the older generation of our community, especially looking at life before and after the second world war.

We are lucky to have a dedicated Oral History Group who have been trained by St Fagan's in the use of our recording equipment and in interviewing techniques. We always welcome new people to the group and are especially keen to hear from people who would either like to share their memories or who would like to interview a friend or relative.

It is important that these memories are recorded. The memories of the older generation are essential to our understanding of our past and the way our community has been shaped. These recordings will be archived in both Powys County Council Archive Department and in St Fagan's Social and Cultural History Department where they will be available to the public.

The Sleeping Giant Foundation New Media Studio was set up in house in July 2005 to provide training opportunities in film and DVD production to the local community and as a way of further promoting our area. Since then the studio has been busy with requests for filming coming from small community groups to commissions from larger organisations.

No experience is neccessary to become part of the team, just enthusiasm and commitment, as training is done in house. If you are interested in joining or would like to discuss the possibilities of commissioning a film for your group, please contact the office
on 01639 731062

Swansea Bay (5mins)
Music video by local musician following his trip to Swansea Bay and exploring the changing face of Swansea City over a 24hours. This is part of our Development Officer's course work for her MA in Media Studies at Lampeter University - produced using Lampeter University's Macintosh Suite and Department of Film and Media's resources.

Brecon Beacons National Park 50th Anniversary (26mins)

Commissioned for the National Park's 50th Anniversary, this DVD contains interviews with people of all ages, sharing their memories, stories and hopes for the future of the Park. This project gave the crew a chance to learn new skills in interviewing and chroma keying.

Activities in Mid Wales & the Brecon Beacons (9mins)

Commissioned by Powys County Council showing the enormous variety of activities that Powys has to offer. This DVD was released in Spring 2007 and will be used with PCC's 2007 Activities Guide. A fantastic time has been had by all involved and none of us realised just how stunning mid Wales is or the amount of activities to be found here. We've all learned loads on this project, especially how to organise 18hours of footage into 10 minutes!

Y Fari Lwyd (2mins)
At the time of the New Year a strange sight is seen in the South Wales valley. Y Fari Lwyd and her troupe journey through villages and towns trying to get into pubs and bringing luck for the coming year.

This video shows the first outing of a new troupe in our community and has been a partnership project between the SGF and Menter Brycheiniog. Watch out for her over this Christmas season as she will be out once again.

Fforest Fawr Geopark Promo DVD (5mins) 2006 - made to promote the newly designated Geopark, this film was produced for the launch of the Geopark on 21st April and seen by none other than Neil Kinnock and Rhodri Morgan, both of whom commented positively about the film.

Home Front Recall Evacuees Reunion (20mins with over an hour of bonus features) 2006 - produced in partnership with students of the Department of Film and Media at University of Wales Lampeter. This DVD features footage from the Evacuees Reunion Event held at Abercraf on 25th Nov 2005 with moving interviews from people who were evacuated to our valley.

Memoirs of Abercraf (28mins) 2006 - in conjunction with The Sleeping Giant Foundation Oral History Project, an interview with Bella Mills and David Williams on their childhood growing up in Abercraf. This DVD is not only capturing our past, but will be used as an educational tool for future generations.

Discover the Land of the Sleeping Giant (10mins) 2006 - tourism promotinal DVD for the Upper Swansea Valley. This showcases the attractions, activities, natural beauty, history and heritage of our area. Not only did the film crew and editors work extremely hard on creating this vibrant film, but we also had lots of support form local businesses and activity providers in the making of it.