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A Long Walk to Grimethorpe

Follow composer Joe Snape, equipped with a tuba and an audio recorder, on his walk to visit the world's most famous Brass Band, Grimethorpe Colliery Band, in search of inspiration for a new piece of brass band music.

With an audio recorder in his pocket and a tuba rigged with microphones strapped to his chest, Joe hikes the twenty six miles between Sheffield and Grimethorpe, in search of inspiration for a new composition for brass band. Along with the creative challenge to record the sound of his walk, it's a race against time to reach the world famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band in time for their evening rehearsal.

This is a film about the challenges of the creative process when pitted against physical strain and the place of musical tradition in relation to contemporary methods. These themes are explored by means of the walk itself, interviews, archive footage and the performance of a new piece of music, culminating in a film about the history of brass bands but also considerations of their future.

  • Ismar Badzic
    Director
    Deeper than Snow, The White Line
  • Louise Snape
    Producer
    N/A
  • Joe Snape
    Key Cast
    N/A
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 9, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    500 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Aesthetica Film Festival
    York
    United Kingdom
    November 4, 2016
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Ismar Badzic

Ismar was born in Bosnia in 1991 in a time of looming violence and celebrated his first birthday on a ferry to England as a refugee. It is because of these dramatic roots that his passion for narratives emerged. With a rich range of experience as an interviewer and documentary filmmaker, his fascination lies with people and what makes them tick, seeking out insightful answers and intimate stories to delve far beyond the surface of his subjects.

His versatility as a filmmaker means he has worked for a range of corporate clients such as Channel 4, FujiFilm, Adidas and Panasonic whilst also directing a number of independent, experimental and investigative documentaries on a range of subjects from snowboard films for the Extreme Sports Channel to music films with Arts Council funding.

Over the past year, Ismar has been working for BAFTA winning production company Warp Films to document the making of two major TV series with This is England '90 for Channel 4 and The Last Panthers for Sky Atlantic.

He is currently working on a number of documentary films including 'Vracanje' (Going Back), a film about family, history and war in Bosnia and numerous other projects including his first foray into fiction with 'G_iRL' a lo-fi sci-fi comedy about a robot daughter who starts malfunctioning.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

A Long Walk to Grimethorpe is a niche documentary about an often overlooked type of music but one with a rich history; brass band music. The documentary not only explores the history and culture of brass but also its future with composer Joe Snape setting out to write a new piece accompanied by field recordings captured on his 26 mile walk from Sheffield to the world's most famous brass band; Grimethorpe. Whilst Joe's walk delivers the entertainment, archive footage and interviews deliver an in-depth and touching history of brass and its inextricable link to people, communities and even politics. The strength of this documentary is in its success of exploring an overlooked subject matter with a potent mix of entertainment, humour and education.