Private Project

Slate Stories

A mountain that looks like a Swiss cheese from the inside is at the heart of of the stories people share in this remote part of Wales. For generations, slate mining was deeply interwoven with peoples‘ lives. With the decline of the mining industry, the structure of the region is changing drastically. Underground footage shot by former miner Glyn Davies shows a world that no longer exists. Work in the mines was hard, but it gave the region a purpose and an identity. Today, what´s left is tourism. With reluctance, the original Welsh population observes the influx of English people seeking weekend cottages, while the Welsh are moving out in search of jobs.

  • Justin Time
    Director
    Chasing Houses, Passing Surburbia, Toss it Baby, Monster, ... dass das heut enoch immer so ist - Kontinuitäten der Ausgrenzung
  • Justin Time
    Writer
    Chasing Houses, Passing Surburbia, Toss it Baby, Monster, ... dass das heut enoch immer so ist - Kontinuitäten der Ausgrenzung
  • Justin Time
    Producer
    Chasing Houses, Passing Surburbia, Toss it Baby, Monster, ... dass das heut enoch immer so ist - Kontinuitäten der AusgrenzungChristal Davies Darren Davies Glyn Davies Drew Page Glyn Roberts Ant Taylor
  • Christal Davies, Darren Davies, Glyn Davies, Drew Page, Glyn Roberts, Ant Taylor
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    43 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English, Welsh
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • International Filmfest Eberswalde, Provinziale
    Eberswalde
    Germany
    7.10.2018
    World Premiere
    Audience Award: Best Short Documentary
Director Biography - Justin Time

Justin Time is a stonemason turned visual artist turned filmmaker. His films and media installations examine the seemingly "normal" in the context of space and social dynamics. After the apprenticeship as a stonemason, Justin Time went on a traditional working journey around Europe for three years. He studied Sculpture at the Art School Berlin Weißensee and Urban Studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. Since 2011, Justin Time is a member of the self-organized film school filmArche in Berlin.

AWARDS:
Miglior Film / Best Feature Documentary, Lucania Film Fest, Italy, 2018
Best Feature Documentary, New York Film Week 2017

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Originally a stonemason by trade, Justin Time immediately connected to the intense relationship to the material held by the slate mining community in the Welsh villages. 'Talking stone' was speaking the same language, in a way. On the other hand, coming from outside the community and being neither Welsh nor English enahnced Justin’s ability to ask questions about this charged intercultural relationship. For two months, Justin lived in the community of Corris and Aberllefenni, and returned there several times. The miners and their family members were not solely film subjects: one of them, Glyn Davies, also contributed his own video material from underground and thus served as an additional camera operator. A preview that Justin returned to screen in the community evoked an intense exchange within the village afterwards.“