Sheep addiction hits the big screen

A HILL farming documentary which follows the lives of tenant farmers Tom and Kay Hutchinson and their flock of Swaledale sheep in the North Pennines, is about to be shown on cinema screens across the country.
By Ben Barnett
Published 18th Aug 2015, 17:10 BST

Made by North East-based Provenance Films, Addicted to Sheep was first shown at this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015 and is now being released in UK cinemas with a premiere in London’s Picturehouse Central on August 28.

The film is the feature debut of director Magali Pettier and portrays the hard work in all weathers of Mr and Mrs Hutchinson.

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Mr Hutchinson said: “You do it for the way of life and because you love it. The local community is very close-knit, it’s a strong force and we all help each other out.”

Director, Miss Pettier, herself a farmer’s daughter, followed a year in their lives with the aim of capturing the beauty of the landscape and the hard graft it takes just to survive. She single-handedly shot and directed the indie film, working alongside producer Jan Cawood of Tin Man Films and editor Matt Dennis to develop more than 60 hours of footage into a feature-length film.

Miss Pettier said: “Thanks to the Hutchinson family it feels like a real achievement to now be able to share the film with a wide audience to show a world difficult to witness up close, what it’s like to be a tenant farmer, especially given the current headlines about the issues farmers are facing.”

To promote Addicted to Sheep, life-size sheep models made from the wool of the Hutchinsons’ flock will accompany the film’s UK cinema tour, starting in London a week on Friday.

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