News / Film
Bristol’s last farm film wins global award
A film documenting the fight to save Yew Tree Farm from development has won a BAFTA.
One Last Farm was produced by Nikki Dodd, an MA student in Wildlife Filmmaking at UWE Bristol who won the BAFTA Student award for Best Documentary.
Dodd produced, directed and shot the film which told the story of Bristol’s last remaining working farm and its third generation custodian Catherine Withers.
Withers came to prominence when she started campaigning to save the farm in Bedminster Down after it was threatened by housing development as well as expansion of the nearby South Bristol cemetery, which has subsequently been approved by Bristol City Council.
Withers announced at a Bristol screening of the film in March that she would be leaving the land, which she has lived on and farmed for 30 years – photo: Nikki Dodd
For the documentary, Dodd followed Withers over the course of a year as she fought to protect the farm, a Site of Nature Conservation Interest which produced food for the city using nature-friendly methods.
“As a filmmaker with a passion for nature, I’m drawn to stories about our relationship as people with the planet,” said Dodd. “And so, when I first read about Yew Tree Farm in a news article, it immediately sparked my interest.
“I was struck by how this small farm is addressing so many interconnected challenges. It’s contributing to local food security, producing healthy food free from chemicals, creating a haven for wildlife, all at the same time as contributing to community wellbeing by providing access to green space.
“And when I learned that the farm was threatened by development, I thought the story would make a compelling film, and I wanted to share the story of the farm with a wider audience.”
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One Last Farm was chosen from a shortlist of three in the documentary category, after judges sifted through a record-breaking 1,000 submissions from 39 countries.
The winners were announced in a ceremony in Los Angeles, where Dodd accepted her award.
“I really poured a lot of myself into the project. It required a huge amount of dedication, so it’s very rewarding to have that work acknowledged,” she said.
“This award is a huge honour. It’s a testament to the talented team behind the film and the power of the story it tells. Endless thanks to BAFTA US, to our amazing supporters, and especially to Catherine, whose story continues to inspire.”
It is the second year in a row that a student on UWE Bristol’s Wildlife Filmmaking course has won the Best Documentary title in the awards which have been running for over 20 years and are viewed as heralding emerging voices that could go on to shape the future of film.
UWE Bristol has been judged a first class university for sustainability, ranking 25th out of 149 higher education institutions in People & Planet’s latest sustainability league table.
Main image: One Last Farm
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