Turf
Short film In Production
Director
Cameron Robbins
Director
Georgia Parkinson
Producer
Jackie Doyle
It’s in the songs, the poetry, the smell of it is all around - in the pubs, streaming out of chimneys, turning the bathwater brown. Turf, peat – the bog. It’s hard to think of another substance anywhere in the world so entwined with the culture as turf is with Ireland, both North and South. In the cold and damp, it was essential for life - but it became more than that, inextricably tied up with identity. It’s not just a right to dig, but a religion.
‘Turf’ follows a group of traditional Donegal turf cutters across a year as they work tirelessly to cut and dry sods to keep their homes warm over the winter. An intimate look at this age-old process, we see the village head out to toil in the bog, footing and piling, digging and stacking perfect slabs then drying and storing their supply. They wouldn’t live any other way.
But whether they like it or not, another world is encroaching on them. As much as it’s their culture, what they do is extremely environmentally damaging and has to stop. An all-out ban on turf cutting grows closer and closer, as the EU sues Ireland over not protecting these landscapes. Ever present in the background of this film, as in life, the fight grows nearer - over the radio, in the newspapers, on the TV. But will those it’s been a way of life for be able to accept and change?
Immersed in the world of our funny, outspoken, passionate characters, ‘Turf’ is a difficult, lyrical and touching look at a community, intergenerational change and rural hardship. This documentary will use uninterrupted takes and immersive sound to document interactions between turf cutters, their loved ones and the community, as well as demonstrating the looming pressure from the outside world.
Our characters will battle the views of those close to them and far away, whilst continuing a life they’ve always known. Recorded over a year, the film will capture the ever-changing seasons which will mirror the imminent cultural shift coming their way. What does it mean when your way of life is judged incompatible with the modern world?
Crew
