The Film

The Story.

Sheffield-based violin maker Emma Hardy bridges the gap between nature and music, by designing and hand-crafting a uniquely decorated instrument inspired by the Peak District’s history of folk music and land access rights.

The violin will be played out on the moors and mountains around the UK by local musicians, each with a different story to tell about their connection to the land and the inspiration they draw from it.

Folk Who Roam follows the circular journey of this instrument, from conception to creation and finally into the hands of the musicians who take it back into nature where its materials came from, and where the spirit of the commons is kept alive by those who love the land.

The Reasons.

Folk Who Roam is not only a film, but a collaboration of communities. The act of making the film carries just as much importance as its outputs. We will:

  • Celebrate the strong culture of traditional music in the UK and the independent craftspeople who facilitate it

  • Highlight the importance of land access rights in the UK

  • Advocate for more land to be granted public access

  • Explore the relationship between nature and music

  • Create a uniquely decorated violin, made for the folk musicians who feel a strong connection to their landscape

The Film.

We’ll be going into production in spring 2023, aiming for release in the summer of 2024.

Folk Who Roam will be premiered in Sheffield, with supporting speakers advocating for the topics broached in the film. The film will be submitted to UK film festivals which have a focus on the outdoors. The film will also be hosted online, with a supporting campaign advocating both land access rights and maintaining a societal structure that allows musicians to thrive. There will be an accompanying social media campaign to direct people towards the film and website, working with partners and influencers who align with the cause.

After the film has launched, the project will continue as the violin is passed into the folk community as a common asset, by being made available for musicians to use out in the wild.