IN PRODUCTION

Between 2006 and 2012 Director/Producer Dave Brewis filmed over 75 gatherings, mainly across the UK and France. As a result we have a wealth of compelling video archives featuring customs, traditions, offbeat competitions and folklore. In 2023 / 2024 Dave is returning to film selected UK events and make a series of new films. ‘Gatherings’ will be a 6 x 26’ series produced for television.

“Each film will skip the audience through time, explore how traditions are handed down through generations, and tell the inside story of mounting this year’s event.”

“There is often real drama in overcoming the obstacles to staging these gatherings. Barriers may be physical, legal or cultural in nature, and failure to overcome them may have existential consequences. During Covid gatherings of all types were outlawed, and many of our customs and traditions suffered. Our central protagonists will therefore be the organisers of the event - very often the local who cares most about it going ahead. Each story begins in the run up to the event and ends with the spectacle itself.”

“At the appropriate point in each film the audience will be interested in the ‘why?’ and that’s an opportunity to visit the past. Some of our gatherings have a very specific purpose, and some are more ‘open to interpretation’ and will keep our viewers guessing. Some of these gatherings speak to our relationship with nature. Some are really about competing with each other. Most are tribal. The reasons people come together are varied, but this series of films will undoubtedly expose universal themes.”

“In TV terms, customs and traditions are often treated as ‘offbeat' subjects and given relatively short shrift, however they do warrant much closer examination. There are many which are deeply rooted in our past and refuse to die. They say something about what we value over time, which in turn reveals something about ourselves. One of my goals is to do justice to the integrity of these events and my approach can be summarised by ‘accurate representation, sympathetic to the subject, artistically shot’. Alongside the story, I would like the viewer to feel the energy and atmosphere of each gathering, to feel the joy of participation, and of course witness the spectacle.”

“During research for this series I’ve noticed what appears to be growing interest among GenZ around these subjects. Perhaps they are searching for alternatives to digital experiences, looking for something they regard as ‘real’. Also very few of these gatherings feature any real use of technology, and in a sense that’s the point. Many of our customs have actively resisted change and ignored technological ‘progress’ since inception.

Also many of these gatherings actively encourage a deeper relationship with nature. Younger generations are all too aware of the broken bond between people and nature, so it’s perhaps unsurprising these customs are once again in focus. Either way these are contemporary and urgent themes, and the views of our younger generation will be represented in the films wherever that makes sense. After all it is they who will decide whether or not to carry on these traditions - or indeed be inspired to invent new ones.”