Frome Community Films
These five films were created by Frome residents with filmmaker John Sealey of Fabian’s Film Company. They took part in a series of workshops to develop filmmaking skills before creating their own short works, touching on questions of community, belonging, environmental change and the everyday places and relationships that make the town what it is and what it might yet become.
We Need Trees
I work outdoors with Shared Earth Learning, connecting people with nature, though they wonder if I love trees more than people sometimes, and that it what my film is about. How we in Frome so obviously love trees, but how I would like us to give them more respect than simply a street name. Without them we are toast!
About the filmmaker, Alex Hart:
I have lived in Frome since 1996 (with an 8 year gap while I lived, studied and taught in Rotterdam The Netherlands). I love this town for its history, it’s people and for making me feel I belong to a movement of people who really care and who are willing to get up and do something to make our planet a better place.
Making a film was more of a challenge than I feared as technology plays a huge part in the process. It had me in tears several times and the end result is not as I dreamed it would be, but hey ho.
Something Wonderful Will Happen
Manifesto
I don’t need a manifesto or want a write a manifesto
My film comes from the feeling I want to show of Frome.
Intergeneration
Creativity
Spirit of Frome
Fun
Connection
Inclusion
Love
Hope
Community
Well being
Arts
Frome perfect size
I don’t want to be held back by setting any limitations in a manifesto. I want my film to covey a feeling/ feelings of the spirit of Frome. I want to use natural found sound and film of Frome but then I can be free to use them to create the film in any way that helps convey the feelings.
About the filmmaker, Claire Orpin:
I am a maker, creative, gardener, and mother. I have lived in Frome for over 5 years.
What’s G(r)o(w)ing (on) in Frome?
Filmmaker, Jan Besselink
Mother’s Legacy
Some places in Frome carry something that is difficult to explain — a character, a history, an atmosphere; spaces with a soul that can be felt before it can be understood. Mother’s Legacy is an invitation to look inside one of Frome’s most distinctive places, and to wonder what makes a place remain alive.
About the filmmaker, Vanessa Gómez Heley:
I was born in Colombia, where I worked as an image consultant and alongside my family at EGO — Edgar Gómez Estévez, a distinguished Colombian linen clothing company recognised for its craftsmanship and timeless design.
I have always been passionate about art and nature. When I discovered Frome, I was drawn to its vibrant creative spirit and its close connection to the natural world. It felt like a place where we could build our home, and so my family and I decided to settle here.
In everything I put my attention to, I try to look a little deeper — to find the soul of an experience, a place, or simply the person in front of me. I think this way of observing and listening naturally finds its way into whatever I create.
Magic Frome
Two Frome residents can be living in two very different worlds. Nowadays more than ever, as our experiences are shaped by polarising algorithms. Magic Frome is a journey showing the things that connect us all without us realising; the sounds, colours and movement of Frome.
About the filmmaker, Ruth King:
My day-to-day work is administrative, so I don’t often get the chance to express myself creatively. This project reminded me just how much where I live matters to me.
Thanks to Frome school children for creating the Kindness Kennings, and to the Kindness Festival and Olivia and Esme Patey-Ford for permission to use them as the soundtrack to this film.