Barton Turf

'Barton Turf' began its life after a conversation with my aunt, when I had a rough idea for the film but was still trying to nail down why a young woman would decamp to a remote Norfolk village to live in a caravan for a few weeks. ‘Maybe she could be running from an abusive ex.’ she said, nonchalantly. ‘I have some messages if you need inspiration.’ My uncle's abusive nature, which my family could only faintly guess at, finally became horrifyingly clear when my aunt found the courage to leave him. She is one of the strongest women I know and her unrelenting positivity in the face of hardship has always inspired me.
Sometimes those first small, seemingly-innocuous steps towards healing are the most important ones. I wanted to offer a film that gives its characters their time, their space, to try and do just that. Knowing other women who have been victims of domestic abuse I felt I had to tell this story, to use my unique ability to place empathy at the core of what I do. There were so many discoveries throughout the process, not least of which was the importance of courage. Courage to ask ‘stupid’ questions, courage to say ‘I don’t know,’ courage in the Edit in service of the story. I am so proud of this film, made with a micro budget, but full of heart and most of all - courage.
The great poet Rumi said: ‘Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.’ My greatest hope is that audiences will watch 'Barton Turf' and come away with a new perspective on what healing looks like, a greater aptitude for kindness, and a willingness to meet human beings - who are nothing like them - out there, on that field.