FILM: Scottish Premiere Announced

We are delighted to announce that we are working with Edinburgh Napier University and their Chancellor photographer David Eustace to host the only Scottish screening of the film on 26th September 2018. We can confirm that we will be hosting a drinks reception before the film and bringing together a panel of some of Scotland’s most respected and leading figures in the medium together to form a Q+A discussion panel. The film screening will be followed by a Q&A with film Co-producer and Director Grant Scott, alongside Malcolm Dickson, Director of Street Level Photoworks, Ben Harman, Director of Stills Gallery, Edinburgh Napier Honorary Fellow, Robin Gillanders, and Annie Lyden of The National Galleries of Scotland.

You can purchase tickets at https://store.napier.ac.uk/product-catalogue/creative-industries/events/do-not-bend-the-photographic-life-of-bill-jay-26th-september-2018

FILM & EXHIBITION: Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay at Oriel Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, Wales.

We are very pleased and excited to announce the second UK screening of Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay and an accompanying exhibition of Bill’s portraits of UK based photographers. The exhibition will be open from Saturday 12th May – Saturday 30th June 2018.

DO NOT BEND: THE PHOTOGRAPHIC LIFE OF BILL JAY 
Oriel Colwyn/Theatr Colwyn

Friday 11th May 2018 / 6.30 to 10.30pm. Tickets: £5

 

Following the film screening, co-producers Grant Scott and Tim Pellatt will host a discussion on Bill Jay’s impact on the world of photography and share their experience of producing the film with limited budget and resources.

 

Film and discussion suitable for ages 15+

Tickets can be purchased at http://orielcolwyn.org

A book published by www.caferoyalbooks.com titled Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay that accompanies the exhibition will be available online and at the gallery.

Original Score

We are very excited to announce that Professor Laura Ritchie from the University of Chichester is creating an original score for the film and that Grant Campbell is recording a song for the film which will compliment Laura’s work. Laura and Grant are also collocating on a piece of music to end the film.

Professor Laura Ritchie was born in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. She is a cellist, and a National Teaching Fellow Coordinator of Instrumental/ Vocal Teaching and MA Performance at the University of Chichester.

Laura left America to study performance at the Royal College of Music in London before becoming a highly successful performer and lecturer.

For more information please visit www.lauraritchie.com

Grant Campbell is a Scottish singer-songwriter, born in Glasgow. He began playing in various bands when he was 16 and went on to pursue a solo career in his early twenties. He has played support for many different acts including; Odetta, Mary Gauthier, The Handsome Family, John Hammond and James Blood Ulmer, amongst many others.

His debut album Postcards from Nowhere was recorded at home on a four track with Campbell recording and performing all the music. It was released in the summer of 2005 on Crooked Mouth Records, to critical acclaim which included an ‘Album of the Week’ in The Sunday Times. The album was likened to that of Springsteen’s classic Nebraska album with its rustic feel and rough vocals.

For more information please visit www.grantcampbell.co.uk

We Are In The Edit!

We are pleased to say that we are now well into the off-line edit of the film. We have had fantastic support from those who knew Bill and have been able to collect a huge amount of both audio and visual material. We are continuing to speak with others through the summer and aim to have photo lock on the film ready for its original score by September.

John Benton Harris

Above: It was a pleasure to meet with John Benton Harris last Saturday and talk about Bill. The image above left was taken of John by Bill and featured in the book Photographers Photographed.

Homer Sykes and Sue Davies OBE

Thank you to photographer Homer Sykes and founder of the Photographer’s Gallery, London, Sue Davies OBE for sharing their memories of Bill, Creative Camera, Album and the Do Not Bend Gallery with us yesterday.

Lecturing

 

 

 

 

 

We are excited to announce that we have just received over twelve hours of film footage of Bill lecturing in 1989 to consider for the film from the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts.

MV Swanson

 

 

 

 

We were also able to speak with and film innovator, educator, author, advisor and entrepreneur in the field of photography MV Swanson ‘Swanny’ Monday in New York. She was not only one of Bill’s first students at Arizona State she was also a close friend and supporter of Bill’s. We’d like to thank her for her support for the film and in helping us connect with other people in Bill’s life.

Alex Webb

 

 

 

 

A big thank you to Magnum photographer Alex Webb who made himself available to be filmed in Prospect Park, Brooklyn on Monday by Jake Chessum. Alex shared his memories of Bill and spoke about his impact on his work and fellow photographers.