We're delighted that YFA & NEFA have been shortlisted in three categories at this year's FOCAL International Awards, which take place on 15th June!

Best Use of Footage in a Short Film Production:

Our short film, 'Cost of Living', commissioned by York St John University's Cinema and Social Justice project funded by the Screen Industries Growth Network, was curated from more than half a century of archive footage, reflecting on the pandemic cycles of boom and bust that continue to affect us, and the cries for social and economic justice that continue to ring so loudly in our ears today.

You can watch the full film on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23gNHStA5Cw

Best Use of Footage in a History Production:

Echoes of the North: Four Chapters in Time: An unprecedented collaboration between Yorkshire Film Archive, North West Film Archive, North East Film Archive, London’s Archive Film Agency, and edited by Andy Burns, Echoes of the North takes its audiences down the highways and byways of northern life in the early 20th century - its industries and rural life, its wartimes and festivals, its transport, holidays, family excursions and huge, city-wide occasions. 

The sixty minute film is accompanied by a new score – the first ever all-brass soundtrack for a silent film - composed by acclaimed composer, musician, writer and broadcaster Neil Brand. Neil brings his unique touch with silent film, breathing new life into these rare and evocative images with his first all-brass soundtrack. The soundtrack was recorded – with support from digital agency The Space - live at the film’s premiere at Yorkshire Silent Film Festival in November 2022, performed by one of the world’s finest brass bands, West Yorkshire’s Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band with conductor Ben Palmer, who also orchestrated the score.

Find out more about 'Echoes of the North': https://www.ysff.co.uk/echoes-of-the-north-project

Footage Person of the Year:

Last, but certainly not least, our Archive Manager, Graham Relton, has been shortlisted for 'Footage Person of the Year'!  In 2022, Graham celebrated 15 years at the Yorkshire and North East Film Archives. During this time, he has grown and shapeshifted into many different roles, from project and team management to film show presenter, footage salesperson, marketing/PR, curator, producer; however, at the heart of what he does is create access to the moving image collections of Yorkshire and the North East that he is so passionate about. His flexibility is crucial to the Archive’s success, but he is the first to say he couldn’t do his ‘bit’ without the whole team's hard work and the rich and diverse collections held in the vaults.