Having recently received funding for a cinema release, the idea behind the film is to tell the story of the Festival, from its very beginning, through the eyes of ordinary festival-goers. Launched by Glasto guru Michael Eavis himself, the film will include material from the BBC's archive, as well as the best amateur footage. Local connections  | | A special moment at Glasto in 2002 |
The film's being made by Root House Nitrate Production, a new local film company formed by directors Julien Temple, Phil Shepherd, Robert Richards and Chris Wilkinson, in partnership with the BBC, Emap and Hanway Distributors. Bridgwater's media centre, The Engine Room, will also be providing facilities and support for the making of the film. Root House Nitrate Production's Phil Shepherd told us how it all came about: "Michael Eavis felt the time had come for a filmed record to be made of the 30 years of the Festival. He approached Robert Richards, who then got Julien Temple involved. "We filmed 200 hours of footage at the Festival in 2002 from which an eight-minute pilot, with archive material, was made. We've filmed at subsequent Festivals and will film again in 2005."  | | BIG hair at Worthy Farm in 2003 |
Musical filmmaker Julien Temple is the film's director. Responsible for The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, the infamous Sex Pistols mockumentary, he's also an avid supporter of local charity Strummerville which was set up in memory of The Clash frontman, Joe Strummer, to support young talent in music, art and film. Indeed, Julien, along with Badly Drawn Boy, Mick Jones from The Clash, Billy Bragg, Keith Allen and Damien Hirst, turned out in Bridgwater in July of this year for a special concert, held to commemorate Joe Strummer and save Castle House, the concrete building he loved, which was featured in the BBC's Restoration series. The audience makes the Festival Julien told The Guardian recently: "We're really keen to have the audience tell the story because that's what makes the Festival. "The film is about the last 30 years and the way lifestyles have changed very rapidly, seen through the prism of Glastonbury Festival, which has kept its 60s roots in some ways and utterly failed in others."  | | Some rain, sun and fun at Glasto 2004 |
Six hundred hours of footage has already been collected, but the filmmakers are looking for more. "We're particularly looking for footage from the early years of the Festival, pre-1985," Phil Shepherd told us. "It's more the personal stories we're interested in, where people have taken a video camera with them and filmed their own group and experiences – the Festival from the tent door, so to speak." The serious edit of the film starts after Christmas, so if you've got long-forgotten home videos, send them in quick, in any format (although DV is best), to: The Engine Room
52 High Street
Bridgwater
Somerset
TA6 3BL You can also contact the filmmakers at: info@somersetfilm.com
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