The Wall and the Mirror
A new documentary series which showcases short films made by talented new film-makers as part of It's My Shout training scheme.
Shirley Walker has been cutting hair for almost 70 years in the once vibrant mining community of Cefn Forest, and knows generations of families in the area. The treasured photographs on the shop wall are like chapters in the village history. They show a time when the village life was dominated by groups of men getting together from sports teams to brass band to homing pigeons. How things have changed.
Miners used to walk up the Black Path from their gruelling shift straight to Shirley's (and her father who barbered before her) for a short back and sides, then out to one of the local clubs - most of which are now in decline.
Present day customers, can see their forefathers on the wall, and hear stories about them from Shirley. She cut everyone's hair, and still does. There is a deep seam of loyalty from these customers who travel as far as a 200-mile round trip, and locals who now live abroad still pop in for a haircut when they come home to visit.
Two of her customers - ex miners Ray Pope and Nat Thomas - revisit the fast-deteriorating Miner's Institute which was once the heartbeat of the community. Emotions run high as they remember the ‘Stute' as it was in its heyday and see the extent to which the legacy of those hard-working miners is sadly slipping away.
This is a lovesong to those men who worked underground, to Shirley, the keeper of their social and personal histories, and to the village of Cefn Fforest. It's an acknowledgement that though the community has changed, and is changing there is still one place where the heart of the past is still palpably beating.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
The Chi
The Chi is a timely coming-of-age story centering on a group of residents who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption. Kevin is the pre-teen who must step past shattered illusions and embrace the normal rites of childhood, while Brandon the dreamer makes his own nearly impossible leap of faith to succeed in life and love with girlfriend Jerrika. Emmett is the carefree teen is thrust into complex responsibility with guidance from his mother Jada, and Ronnie is the drifter whose struggle to love and be loved calls into question his every pursuit.
Grantchester
Eavesdropping on the life of Sidney Chambers, a charismatic, charming, crime-fighting clergyman, and his partner in crime Police Inspector Geordie Keating, became a highlight for the audience who revelled in their on screen partnership. Geordie's plain-speaking, down to earth approach to policing complemented Sidney's more gentle technique of coaxing information from witnesses and suspects. Their unlikely pairing became a true friendship as each offered a different insight into the crimes they unravelled.
The Ark
The Ark takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. The first of these missions on a spacecraft known as Ark One encounters a catastrophic event causing massive destruction and loss of life. With more than a year left to go before reaching their target planet, a lack of life-sustaining supplies and loss of leadership, the remaining crew must become the best versions of themselves to stay on course and survive.
Shrinking
Shrinking follows a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people's lives… including his own.