A film about the community of Holmewood, Bradford. The film is comprised of dances and narration from people living in Holmewood. The film was commissioned by Dance United Yorkshire. In a forest, the Sun reflects onto a puddle of water filled with brown leaves. A woman’s voice states she was born in Holmewood, in the bed of a living room. Title: OUT OF THE WOODS Images of mossy and leaf-covered tree branches are shown. A woman’s voice states that she was born in Jamaica but came to...

A film about the community of Holmewood, Bradford. The film is comprised of dances and narration from people living in Holmewood. The film was commissioned by Dance United Yorkshire. In a forest, the Sun reflects onto a puddle of water filled with brown leaves. A woman’s voice states she was born in Holmewood, in the bed of a living room. Title: OUT OF THE WOODS Images of mossy and leaf-covered tree branches are shown. A woman’s voice states that she was born in Jamaica but came to Holmewood when she was 20, in 1961. A woman’s voice that her parents, herself and her kids have all lived in Holmewood. Holmewood is shown from above. Title: PLAY A young girl in a black hoodie, skirt and pink Wellington boots dances in a forest. A woman’s voice says she used to go to Big Hills in Holmewood, which is now called Pit Hill. The young girl walks across a log and smells a daffodil. A woman’s voice says she used to love climbing and ‘being scruffy’. The young girl tries to climb a tree. A woman’s voice says she would come home full of mud. The young girl paints mud onto her cheeks. A group of children play in a park. They jump onto platforms, climb up ropes, slide down slides, play in sand pits, crawl across the grass and crawl through tunnels. A voice says that as a child you want to be the best at everything. A voice says that they had a very happy childhood and couldn’t remember any bad times. A group of children lay in a circle on the grass and make star shapes with their bodies. Title: GROW In a forest, shadows of tree branches reflect onto the ground. A young girl in a pink floral outfit dances on the grass in front of a brick building, within the confines of fences. A woman’s voice recalls her first taste of freedom, when she was allowed to go to a record shop and buy her first LP. The girl runs up against walls and bounces off them during her dance routine. The girl then dances in a dance hall, which is adorned with balloons, banners and stage lights. She is accompanied by 5 other young girls, and they are all wearing party hats. The girls dance in a synchronised routine. A woman’s voice recalls going to friend’s parties in her youth. A woman’s voice fondly remembers her silver sparkly dancing shoes. The girls play-fight with balloons and open party poppers. A woman’s voice says these were her first chance to put lipstick on. A voice says that, as a child, you want to be older and think you can ‘take on the world’. The girls help themselves to donuts from a plate. The girls pose on the dance floor with their arms up. Title: TRANSITION A leaf-covered pathway in a forest is shown. A teenage girl in a red hoodie and a black shirt and tracksuit bottoms leans back onto metal railings. Cars on the road drive past metal barriers, behind which are a disused building and a skip. The girl dances in front of the metal railings. The girl, now dressed in black, walks into a tunnel with graffiti-laden walls. She is joined by 5 other girls and one boy. They dance in a synchronised routine. A woman’s voice states that, when you become a teenager, you become more independent. A woman’s voice states that many teenagers are rebellious. A woman’s voice opines that the hardest thing about teenager is uncertainty about the future. The group of teenagers walk out of the tunnel. Title: ACCEPT In a forest, thin branches with leaves growing on them are shown. An adult woman wearing a crop top and necklace walks down the street. She grabs onto a customer notice sign and rebounds off of it. A woman’s voice states that there are big changes upon becoming an adult. The woman dances and poses while rebounding off the customer notice sign. A woman’s voice recalls starting to work, a week after leaving school. She recalls sitting on the bus after her first day of work and thinking to herself that she enjoyed it. Three pairs of hands appear against a black background and make synchronised, expressive gestures to each other. The number of hands increase as the woman continues to dance. The woman concludes her dance by placing her hands against her chest. Title: NURTURE In a forest, a tree is shown. Wearing a black coat, an older woman walks across a field. A woman’s voice states that she doesn’t know where the time has gone. A woman’s voice states that, as a mother, you always want to protect your children. A young girl wearing a pink coat runs up to the woman. The woman joyfully picks her up and spins around. A woman’s voice states that she was proud upon becoming a grandmother. The woman and girl walk along a path while dancing. The girl runs forward with her arms outstretched, then the woman picks her up and spins around. They then walk while holding hands. A woman’s voice states that she is proud of her whole family and their achievements. A group of children, accompanied by their parents, play on a field together. They run under a parachute, hold a sack race, play Jenga, roll down the grass and play Tug of War. Title: REFLECT A tree branch is shown. A grey-haired lady with glasses and a purple hoodie stands in a forest, looking out onto a river. The woman sits on a bench and dances with her hands. A woman’s voice states that many people have formed friendships in Holmewood, and that this is what community is all about. The lady is joined by another grey-haired lady wearing a white coat and they do hand dances on the bench together. A woman’s voice states that there are things to be learned from elderly people. The women stand up and walk off down a path with arms interlocked. A woman’s voice states that people in Holmewood have looked after her and that she feels very safe. A woman’s voice states that there are some lovely, ‘salt of the earth’ people in Holmewood. The sun sets over a field. Title: OUT OF THE WOODS: Credits: Artistic Director: Helen Linsell Produced by: Boca Films Cinematography: David Bewick, Pedro Labanca Assistant camera: Jade Parsley Editor: David Bewick Original Score: Samuel J Ferry Choreographic mentorship provided by: Gary Clarke Choreography by: Stephanie Donohoe, Ren Melling Inspired by the memories of: Diane Berry, Margaret Ealham, Lorraine Holdsworth, Linda Imeson, Irma Parker, Amanda Robinson, Angela Smith Performed by: Summer Ambler, Teegan Ambler, Jaxon Andrews, Chelsea Barnes, Diane Berry, Jen Burgess, Shirani Brooke, Lacey-Mae Farah Browne, Leo Coleman, Skyla Coleman, Margaret Ealham, Kacey Elderbrant, Tahlia Elderbrant, Lilly Foxcroft, Courtney Gott, Amelia Henson, Alanna Henson, Codie Leigh Hodgon, Lorraine Holdsworth, Demi Holmes, Paige Howker, Linda Imeson, Tiyah Lloyd, Callum Mann, Whitney Mann, Georgia Mansell, Grace Metcalfe, Irma Parker, Caden Pearson, Grace Pearson, Kaytlyn Pearson, Amber Reid, Ellie-Mae Rhodes, Amanda Robinson, Alyssa Rosie, Harrison Rosie, Kayleigh Smith-Kerry, Angela Smith, Amiony Wheatley, Billy Wood With special thanks to: Good Neighbours Project, St Christopher’s C of E Family Centre, The TFD Centre, The Valley Project DanceUnited Yorkshire Boca Films City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Bradford City of Film: a UNESCO Creative City Supported using public funding by Arts Council England Paul Hamlyn Foundation Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture Bid