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From the End of the Road

From the End of the Road is a 24 minute documentary that poetically reflects on the nature of cities. Through the responses and experiences of 4 acclaimed children of the region, the film uncovers varying strands of Birmingham’s history, the UK’s second city.

Like a sea creature with tentacles continually sucking things into it, and spitting things away, Birmingham has long been a metropolis born of other places. From the End of the Road ruminates meditatively on the effects of redevelopment across the urban sprawl.

With contributions from Carl Chinn, Kate Green and Karamat Iqbal, alongside poetry performances by Casey Bailey, the film also includes a hypnotic, industrial soundscape from Fernando Gimeno and an animated Castle Vale estate by Tom Evans. From the End of the Road seeks a closer look at our urban and rural environments, unravelling the stories hidden under the surface - those that tell us where we have come from, where we are and where we might go.

  • Ben Crawford
    Director
    'Untitled' 2014, 'Hoo' 2015, 'Within, without' 2020.
  • Ben Crawford
    Writer
  • Ben Crawford
    Producer
  • Casey Bailey
    Key Cast
    "Casey Bailey"
  • Carl Chinn
    Key Cast
    "Carl Chinn"
  • Kate Green
    Key Cast
    "Kate Green"
  • Karamat Iqbal
    Key Cast
    "Karamat Iqbal"
  • Fernando Gimeno
    Music
  • Tom Evans
    Animation
  • Karamat Iqbal
    Additional Photography
  • Franzi Krautter
    Additional Photography
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 22, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Birmingham
  • Flatpack Film Festival 2022
    Birmingham
    United Kingdom
    May 21, 2022
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Midlands Movies Awards 2022
    Leicester
    United Kingdom
    June 11, 2022
    Nominated for Best Documentary
  • West Midlands Open exhibition at The New Art Gallery Walsall
    Walsall
    United Kingdom
    May 20, 2022
    Official Selection
  • The Magic Cinema at Artefact Projects
    Birmingham
    United Kingdom
    October 26, 2022
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Ben Crawford

Ben Crawford is a Filmmaker currently based in Birmingham, UK, working at the intersection of contemporary moving-image, narrative and non-fiction cinema practices. His work uses film to understand why things came to be the way they are. He explores the boundaries of documentary to create work that broadly explores the murky nature of identity and place.

Ben's films have been shown internationally in a variety of gallery and cinema contexts. His degree show films earnt him a short-listing for the prestigious Platform Graduate Award, where films ‘Hoo’ and ‘Untitled’, were screened at the pioneering Turner Contemporary, Margate. As part of 51Zero’s Voyager Festival, ‘Untitled’ was also screened at La Maison de l'Art et de la Communication, Lens, France. More recently his films have shown at the Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham.

Ben engages with subjects for long periods of time. He employs methods taken from anthropology and essayfilm which are combined with observational and participatory techniques. With close care paid to the construction of imagery, his imposition on environments, and the work of collaborators, Ben’s films are often poetic and reflexive, unsettling yet tender.

He has a background in visual art, having received a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from the University of Kent (2015). During this programme, he also studied Directing, Cinematography and Documentary Photography at Marmara University, Istanbul.

Ben completed his part-time Master of Arts Degree in Film and Television: Research and Production at the University of Birmingham in August 2021. He completed his latest film 'From the End of the Road' for this programme, earning him an acclaimed distinction. He is currently exploring festival and screening opportunities.

Additionally to his own filmmaking, Ben has extensive experience producing film/video for clients in the cultural and education sectors. He has worked in crews in film and television and has experience in and out of the arts/cultural sector. He is currently employed at the pioneering Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham as Creative Digital Producer.

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