THE PEOPLE OF PONT-Y-PWL

Six people, six stories, one home. Pontypool.

Once home to industrial innovations within the iron industry, due to the Hanbury family’s involvement. A family that owned the ironworks in Pontypool and the park with a park house which then became a school for the Sisters of the Order of the Holy Ghost (1921) and as of today, a roman catholic high school. Pontypool is complied of many different hamlets and villages. I have spent my entire life in Trevethin and so I know the area well, I know the atmosphere and I know that the locals have been disheartened by the closures of the local business and nothing being put in the absent building as replacement. This documentary seeks to explore Pontypool as a town and a character, in hopes of giving the people a voice and allowing them to be heard. Today Pontypool is a town of approximately twenty-nine thousand people and I have chosen six contributors from different walks of life.

The documentary will centre on six individuals. Councillor Gaynor James, Market Jeweller Graham Grisbrook, Musician Chris Marsh, Business owner Allun Davies, Retired volunteer Jonathan Llewellyn and Song writer Julie West. This film will delve into the daily lives of these six people at home, in work and in the town centre of Pontypool. This documentary uses a hybrid approach, combining elements of both Observational and Reflexive documentary modes, to capture the unique style and tone of Pontypool and its people engagingly and cinematically. The overarching theme throughout will be the importance of keeping small towns alive and the sense of community within Pontypool.

In conclusion, through the lens of six diverse voices, this documentary endeavours to unearth the beating heart of this town, a place in rich history and resilience. A councillor’s dedication to the community, a musician’s soulful melodies echoing through the streets, and a business owner’s unwavering commitment to local commerce. This documentary adopts a cinema vérité approach, immersing viewers in the raw authenticity of Pontypool’s daily existence. 

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GOFUNDME

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THE CREW

Charlie Grayson - Director, Co-Producer, Cinematographer, Editor

Thomas Hughes - Cinematographer & Drone Operator

Dian Schamke - Cinematographer & Sound Assistant

Theo Wilson - Sound Supervisor