Have been first long-listed for Enter the Pitch back in Autumn 2019, Jonny’s next up-coming film has been selected alongside seven other projects for the BFI NETWORK South West: New Writers Lab. Taking place over 3 consecutive months, the scheme works with Script Editor Kate Leys to develop early stage short ideas into completed treatment ready to share with producers and financiers.

Jonny’s project, currently being developed under the working title 'The Weight of Clay' and set amidst a remote rural backdrop, depicts the response of a renowned marathon runner, who’s future becomes uncertain after suffering a miscarriage. The project, explores a wide range of themes, including the darker side of extreme sporting commitment, and first developed out of conversations Jonny and his mum had had about her experiences prior to having children, and their shared love of athletics.

The scheme is being run with script editor Kate Leys, who’s screenplay work extends across at all stages of development from first outline to pre-production. As well as working with screenwriters and filmmakers such as John MacLean, Michal Marzak, Alice Lowe, and Rungano Nyoni, she has been head of development at several companies including Film4 where she was part of the small commissioning team responsible for films including Trainspotting, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Orphans, East is East and Girl with a Pearl Earring.

The other seven selected filmmakers include Eva Edo, who’s work has been commissioned through the Alfred Fagon Award and Routes Collective, and awards from the likes of the Royal Society of Literature; Hyunju Lee, who studied at the Korea National University of Arts before being selected for her first English language short film Midnight Drive as part of the 2020 New Creatives scheme; Isla Badenoch, who’s background in documentary has seen her recognised as part of BFI Network x BAFTA Crew and the BIFA Emerging Filmmaker Springboard; Jason Barker, who’s feature documentary A Deal with the Universe was the centre piece screening for the BFI Flare festival; Kam Gandhi, who’s gained numerous commissions and recognition for her writing on the experience of being black, female and British and giving voice to the outsiders of society; Mena Fombo who co-founded factual and live action production company Blak Wave Productions to tell stories centred on the black girl experience; and Owain Astles who’s work is underpinned by community-led stories of empowerment, connection and resistance and has been recognised through the BBC Arts New Creatives scheme.

The scheme concludes in July and brings together this collective of writers and directors to workshop collaboratively, developing their ideas in preparation for seeks production funding. The full press release from Film Hub South West can be read here.

An Tarow’s festival success continues with a nomination in the Best Celtic Short Film category at the BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. With over 1000 films submitted to the festival this year, the category recognises the best Celtic produced work and use of the Celtic languages from Wales, Ireland North or South, Isle of Man, Cornwall, Scotland and Brittany.

The other seven nominated films include Orson Cornick’s Choker filmed in Cornwall, Angor by Bangor based photography Paul Hanks, The West Kerry Cowboy by Cian O’Connor, Leave the Road Behind You by Daniel Butler, Pale Saint by Rhys Marc Jones, and Boat Boy Joe Madden.

Also nominated was Sema Basharan’s recent documentary The Signalman which recently featured on BBC One’s Inside Out South West and has been previously screened at Newlyn Film Festival, Cardiff Mini Film Festival in June last year, and London’s British Documentary Film Festival where it won in the Best Student Film category. The film follows the life of the only violin maker in Cornwall in the early twentieth century who gained wide spread renown for his craftsmanship. Sema’s previous work includes Unknown Ravens and Life Lessons.

An Tarow, which shot on location across Redruth, Truro, Carn Brea, Watergate Bay and West Penwith follows Jackson New in the role of Peder who finds enough courage from his mother’s Cornish tales to confront his abusive father. The film features Edward Rowe in the role of Mal, who’s recent film Bait was nominated for Outstanding British Film in the 2020 BAFTA’s with director Mark Jenkin picking up the BAFTA for Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer. Bryher Flanders, whose previous credits include work with R&D, Soho Theatre, Bunker Theatre, RADA and BBC New Creatives, plays Peder’s mum Cara. With local Cornish actor Tim Cartwright playing teacher Mr Cormoron.

Carmarthen Bay Film Festival made the announcement alongside other award nominations on their Facebook page which can be watched here.

The press kit is available to view here.

Alongside a wide range of Cornish based filmmakers, Jonny’s latest project on Penzance based luthier, Hannah Sedgwick, was commissioned as part of the Hypatia Trust’s Women of Cornish Music: Past and Present project. The project, which commissioned eight short documentaries, aims to explore and celebrate the contributions of women to Cornwall’s musical heritage.

Jonny’s project is not only a first step in to documentary, but also a first chance to experiment with Super8 film, which he will be using to capture the tactile qualities of Hannah’s craft, pairing this with conversations and sounds of repair to explore the many aspects of Hannah’s life.

From her Penzance-based workshop, Hannah Sedgwick continues the town's long line of luthiers; those who take battered instruments and turn them towards a new lease of life. Through a web of conversations and sound, Jonny’s project reflects on the meaning of craft, showing a woman working with her hands, and listening to the interactions that make up her daily life.

Other commissioned filmmakers include Sky Neal, who’s recent feature documentary Even When I Fall was nominated for a 2018 BIFA and Sheffield Doc Fest in 2017, and won the Audience Award at RAI Film Festival in 2019. The film, described at “sensitive, intimate, graceful” by Total Film and “visually arresting” by Little White Lies, follows Sheetal and Saraswoti re-building their lives after returning to Nepal having been trafficked as children in to Indian circuses.

The rest have been brought together from across Cornwall, each exploring distinct areas of musical practice; from musician’s such as Martha Tilston, to the work of music therapists like Ruth Bolton and a sweeping generational perspective on Helston Flora Day. The films will sit as a permanent collection that captures female role models in Cornwall and work to rebalance the awareness of women’s roles in Cornish music-making.

The wider project, funded through the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Cornwall Heritage Trust and Screen Cornwall, will run for 15 months and encompass a wide range of events and projects in heritage and education. As well as the eight commissioned films, a wider programme of events and volunteer archive work will explore and celebrate Cornish music through a female lens, discovering stories and music of historical women and displaying strong female role models for the next generation.

More information can be found through the Hypatia Trust’s website.

An Tarow’s festival run begins with a first official selection at the BAFTA Cymru Qualifying Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. The festival, originally set for the 27th May but postponed due to COVID-19, has been running since 2012 and taken submissions from over 60 countries over the years. In 2019 the festival saw over 750 films submitted and has a growing list of partners including Stradey Park Hotel, BAFTA Cymru, RTS Wales, University of Wales Trinity St. David, Felin Foel Brewery and Carmarthen Cameras. With this year’s edition cancelled in the current global climate, nominations and winners announcements will be released over the film festival’s social media platforms in April and May.

Local opportunities to see the film are currently on hold until further notice however announcements will be released in due course for opportunities in Cornwall and the Southwest for audiences interested in Cornish language drama.

The film, which shot on location across Redruth, Truro, Carn Brea, Watergate Bay and West Penwith follows Jackson New in the role of Peder who finds enough courage from his mother’s Cornish tales to confront his abusive father. The film features Edward Rowe in the role of Mal, who’s recent film Bait was nominated for Outstanding British Film in the 2020 BAFTA’s with director Mark Jenkin picking up the BAFTA for Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer. Bryher Flanders, whose previous credits include work with R&D, Soho Theatre, Bunker Theatre, RADA and BBC New Creatives, plays Peder’s mum Cara. With local Cornish actor Tim Cartwright playing teacher Mr Cormoron.

The press kit is available to view here.

After a long process of post-production throughout November, December and January that involved editor Ella Turner, composer Dan Baboulene, colourist René Huwaë and sound designer Nico Metten, An Tarow was successfully completed and delivered to the commissioners at the Cornish Language Office. The film, which shot on location across Redruth, Truro, Carn Brea, Watergate Bay and West Penwith follows Jackson New in the role of Peder who finds enough courage from his mother’s Cornish tales to confront his abusive father.

The film features Edward Rowe in the role of Mal, who’s recent film Bait was nominated for Outstanding British Film in the 2020 BAFTA’s with director Mark Jenkin picking up the BAFTA for Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer. Bryher Flanders, whose previous credits include work with R&D, Soho Theatre, Bunker Theatre, RADA and BBC New Creatives, plays Peder’s mum Cara. With local Cornish actor Tim Cartwright playing teacher Mr Cormoron.

Dan Baboulene returned to collaborate with Jonny Dry for a second time having previously won awards for his work on Third Quarter from the New Renaissance Film Festival in London. On An Tarow the two of them worked closing to write a sparse violin based score which accompanies Peder’s journey between the quoit and town close to his home. The score was ultimately performed by Cardiff based violinist Lottie Price and mastered in Dan’s studio in southeast London. Dan found time from his busy composition schedule which has included recent credits The Brexit Storm Continues: Laura Kuenssberg’s Inside Story, Jason Winard’s Uncertain Kingdom funded short Pavement and the trailer for Daniel Radcliffe’s new film Escape from Pretoria.

An Tarow now goes on to a public and festival screening circuit that will continue across Cornwall and the UK. The press kit is available to view here and further details on the film's festival screenings will follow in early Spring.

A highly successful period of filming concluded on the 25th October after five days of film across Cornwall. The production saw a highly talented team of Cornish based cast and crew that began with an early Monday start in Redruth and concluded in Truro following a week of filming at Carn Brea, Carn Euny, Lanyon Quoit and Watergate Bay.

Jackson New brought a maturity and assurance to the lead role of Peder that anchored the entire production. Whilst in the role of his mother Cara, Bryher Flander’s mastery of the Cornish language drove the narrative heart of the film and brought stories of Piskie’s, Bucca’s and Knocker’s in to stark reality. The other two supporting cast members; Kate Edney in the role of Miss Morveren and Tim Cartwright as Mr Cormoron gave committed performances that brought a Cornish classroom to life alongside a handful of extras. 

The first day of filming began early opposite Curnow School in Redruth and saw a range of scenes shot in and around Cardrew Industrial Estate, from there the team moved over to Watergate Bay to shoot the key beach sequence involving both Peder and his mother Cara.

Day two the production moved to a house in Truro which was the main interior location for Jackson and Bryher, and saw a brief appearance of Peder’s father played by Edward Rowe who’s notable appearance in Bait directed by Mark Jenkin has reached wide spread national acclaim following its premiere at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. 

​Day three brought the best of the week’s weather and a chance to shoot Lanyon Quoit in all it’s glory. The site also played host to the final scene which was shot in the fading light. The day was a demanding day of exteriors which the crew and Jackson coped with admirably.

The fourth day was an ambitious day with two unit moves starting at Carn Euny to film the tunnels and caverns on the site before moving to a woodland just north of Madron to shoot a little seen collection of standing stones. The production then moved to its third location of the day and filmed on Carn Euny above Camborne and Redruth. The rain came in on the final day and the production moved once again inside; using the Krowji site in Redruth for the school interiors involving Kate Edney, Tim Cartwright and Jackson New, before heading back to Truro to shoot out the remain interior scenes.

It was a special team that came together to work on this project and the atmosphere throughout the week was a testament to all involved. The professionalism and commitment of the crew cannot be overstated and demonstrates the extent of Cornish based talent both in front of and behind the camera.

After a brief respite editing began in earnest on the 28th October with the first rough cut completed on the 6th November.

Crew

Producer: Ella Turner Screenwriter/ 1st AD: Samuel Jay Chessell Director of Photography: René Huwaë Focus Puller: Peter Doyle-Davidson Clapper Loader: Lauren Hyslop, Theo Cordery, Joey Millward Gaffer: Jack Brookman Spark: Charlie Agnew, Georgia Cunningham Sound Recordist: James Chatwin DIT: TJ Hughes Hair and Make-up Artist: Charlotte Carrig Production Manager: Fraya Dawe Production Assistant: Tom Hartley BTS Photographer: Yzella Barker-Warne

Following a wide ranging audition period that saw applications from across Cornwall and beyond, four cast members for Jonny Dry’s latest production An Tarow have been announced ahead of production which is due to take place in October.

Jackson New stars in the lead role of Peder, whilst Bryher Flander’s plays the lead speaking role of his mother. Other cast members in Kate Edney in the role of Miss Morveren and Tim Cartwright as Mr Cormoron.

Jackson New’s previous work includes recent local feature Long Way Back directed by Brett Harvey as well as Sola Lupa Productions Earth Beneath My Feet which was screened at Cannes in 2017. He has also appeared in ITV’s Poldark and The Guernsey and Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society starring Lily James.

Bryher Flanders graduated from the University of Bristol in 2015 and has built on her experience in the National Youth Theatre with roles in Zoe Alker’s Bit Red, Guy Watson’s The Mousehole Cat and Izzy Tennyson’s Grotty. She continues to tour across the southwest with a variety of theatre groups.

Kate Edney comes to An Tarow following a successful run of Canvas and Rum directed by Jason Squibb as part of North South Theatre. She also had roles in Brett Harbey’s Long Way Back as Rachael and Audrey in Martha Tilston’s debut feature The Tape. In 2018 she appeared as Oshi in Oceana of the Sea at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth.

With experience both in theatre and film, Tim Cartwright’s recent credits include James Osben’s Macbeth as well as appearing in the short film Mermaids directed by Yazmin Joy Vigus. He has also had numerous appearences with The Inn Theatre Company in Dartmouth including Othello and Goodnight Mr Tom. His film experience includes credits in The Black Knight, Excalibur Rising, Mordred, and World of Dreams.

With these local Cornish actors now cast, work begins in the coming weeks on rehearsals which will be supported by the Cornish Language Office to sensitively bring the Cornish language to the screen.

Recipients of the Cornish Language Office (CLO) 2019 FylmK award are set to produce their latest film this coming autumn. In a hard-hitting drama that deals with both the challenges of domestic abuse and Cornwall’s folk history, screenwriter Samuel Jay Chessell and director Jonny Dry’s Cornish language drama An Tarow (The Bull) is an ambitious film that looks to shed a light on the lesser seen areas of the county.

Set in the present day, the film is scheduled to be produced in October across inland and coastal Cornwall, including Camborne, Redruth and West Penwith. With early fundraising secured through the CLO, the production team are now looking for further crowdfunding from the Cornish community to support the production and help bring the Cornish language to the big screen. More information can be found here.

With a number of local crew and cast set to be involved, the production team is also utilising the support of local primary schools – some of whom have already developed successful Cornish language projects through the support of Golden Tree – to provide further opportunities for schools to witness the Cornish language being successfully used.

The FylmK fund is part of the on-going work by the Cornish Language Office to increase the use of Cornish across the county. Since 2011 the CLO has been working with schools, colleges, local organisations and the wider community to encourage engagement with the Cornish language. Other on-going projects include Radyo an Gernewegva, a Cornish online radio station; music and dance festival Lowender Peran; and two learning and communications projects to develop both social and technological engagement with the language.

To aid the funding of the production, the team behind An Tarow are turning to the wider Cornish community and beyond to help raise extra funds which will allow for the production to bring on extra resource for both production and post-production. They hope such an appeal will be of interest to anyone who has a passion for the Cornish landscape but also seeing the Cornish language represented on screen.

Speaking about the fundraising project, producer Ella Turner said, “we hope that this will be a real opportunity for local people to become directly involved with the production and take ownership over a grassroots project. Fundraising in this way, alongside what we’ve received from the Cornish Language Office, is a great way to reach out to a community of people early on and create a real relationship with those who want to see this project made.”

Speaking about the vision for the film itself, director Jonny Dry said “what really made this project so interesting was the balance that Sam’s script struck between a modern day setting with the more lyrical Cornish language and folk history. For me what this project about is twofold: making these important parts of the county’s culture and history relevant to a contemporary Cornwall; but also highlighting issues, and areas of the county, which often go under the radar in many depictions of Cornwall. Film is a great way of making this accessible for all; telling a powerful and emotional drama where the language feels part of the drama and enhances the issues the film is raising.”

Speaking about the up-coming production Mark Trevethan from the CLO said, “it was another strong year for submissions and we are excited to see how An Tarow comes alive on screen. FylmK is an annual competition to create new film in Kernewek, the Cornish language. The aim is to give opportunities for film makers in Cornwall to tell original stories in our language, and for audiences to hear Cornish being spoken.”

Cornwall Council continues to fund the Cornish language programme. This is intended to ensure the protection of our endangered language and support its continued use and contribution to economic and social life in Cornwall today. Cornwall Council provides strategic leadership for the programme, promotes official use of Cornish and puts in place core infrastructure to support the network of volunteers and community groups.

Over the August Bank Holiday, Third Quarter picked up two awards from its five nominations at the New Renaissance Film Festival. With five of the cast and crew who worked on the project in attendance at the awards ceremony in Soho – Joe Newton, David K. Whiting, Jonny Dry, Dan Baboulene and Samuel Jay Chessell – the film was recognised in both the Score and Mystery categories.

For the score both Dan and Jonny accepted the award before paying tribute to the work of Alexander Wells who could not attend but contributed an immense amount of work to the quality of the music as sound engineer and producer. Jonny as well thanked the immense amount of hardwork that both of them had put in to writing and producing an impressive and deeply moving piece of string-based composition.

Upon receiving the award for Best Mystery Short, Jonny thanked the selflessness and support of co-producer Samuel Jay Chessell and also the festival team for organising such an impressive weekend of short and feature films.

Other nominated films included Tara Fitzgerald’s Nothing Important, Aurora Fearnley’s Pulsar, and Gregory Nice’s Love I Have Known. The standard of films this year was incredibly high, and more broadly the festival recognised a huge range of documentary, experimental and narrative work as well as LGBT and international filmmaking.

Third Quarter’s other award nomination for Best UK Actor for which lead actor David K. Whiting was nominated, was awarded to Craig Parkinson for his role in Futures. The award for Best Set Design went to Belle Mundi for Pulsar and Nothing Important was recognised as Best UK Short.

A packed crowd attend the Courthouse Hotel in Soho for networking drinks before the ceremony which was introduced by Festival Directors Jan Hendrik Verstraten and Massimo Barbato and hosted by TV presenter Anya Patel. Across the board filmmakers thanked the dedication of their teams in producing the various films and acknowledged the importance of indie filmmaking which the NRFF supports. Tributes were also repeatedly paid to Jan and Massimo for their hard work in bringing together and excellent three day festival that had full auditoriums for many of the screening slots. Other award winners can be found here

This is the latest success for the Third Quarter team who have also been be recognised at other UK festivals, including the Newlyn International Film Festival and Heart of England Film Festival.

Jonny Dry’s latest short film Third Quarter has been selected and nominated for this year’s three day New Renaissance Film Festival in London. The growing festival network – which has gone on to establish itself in Amsterdam and a further LGBTQ festival – looks to promote ‘stories that are genuinely imaginative, emotional and positive.’

Alongside a varied programme of short, feature and documentary work, Third Quarter will screen on Saturday at the Close Up Cinema in Shoreditch alongside Cameron Richards’ The Sea starring Anna Friel, Russell Tovey and David Elliot; and Rena Dumont’s Hapless Hans.

On Sunday many of the team who worked on Third Quarter have been nominated across a range of categories that speaks volumes for the team’s dedication to the producing the film which was released earlier this year. Tickets for both the screening and awards ceremony can be booked here.

Lead actor David K. Whiting is nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Will. Dan Baboulene and Alexander Well’s impressive string based score featuring Makoto Nakata on the violin and Cristina Cooper on the cello is nominated for Best Score.

Elsewhere the work that went in to constructing and dressing the bookcases and books is recognised with a nomination for Best Set Design and there are also general nominations for Best UK Short and Best Fantasy/Mystery short.

The project, which Jonny began writing back in 2015, depicts the inner psychological turmoil of memory loss and dementia to the explore the emotional impact such confusion can have as one’s sense of identity is lost. Drawing from a range of scientific material that researched the psychological impact of such conditions, Third Quarter was supported in-kind from Falmouth University and with principle photography commencing in the summer of 2016 before a long two year post-production process that included visual effects work from a Netherlands-based team that featured close collaborator René Huwaë.

Third Quarter has gone on to also be recognised at other UK festivals, including the Newlyn International Film Festival and Heart of England Film Festival.