Laura is a writer and filmmaker based in the Tees Valley. She also runs a creative writing and development organisation based in Middlesbrough called Writers’ Block North East together with James Harris.
Real Tees Valley is a film project run over a year across the five boroughs of the Tees Valley, encouraging young people to use the medium of film to tell their own stories around their experiences of living in the area.
Our young prospective and developing film-makers worked alongside six professional film-maker mentors, including a lead mentor film-maker to make the short films which vary in length from one to ten minutes.
The project explored what place and culture meant to this group and wrote a new narrative for the Tees Valley, away from the traditional headlines of industrial boom and decline, through using real voices to illustrate life in contemporary Teesside directly from those who might carve out its future.
Impact
30+
young film-makers
25+
films made
8
artists employed
The Films
Our young film-makers and lead artists have co-produced 27 diverse, visually interesting and story-rich films, around the themes of place and culture, 25 of which the young film-makers have gracefully given consent to show in the public arena.
Working together, lead Film-maker Maxy Bianco supported Tees Valley Arts Curator Miki Rogers to curate these films into five collections which pick up the main themes observed through delving into all the work produced and recognising common threads as the films were being made. Additionally, the locations of the films, their length and how each themed set works together to make a whole body of work was considered.
https://youtu.be/3pvOPMcnTJA Mohammed who is 18 and from Middlesbrough wanted to show a world he might have been brought up in as a child. Instead, personal turmoil at home would change his upbringing significantly. This documentary highlights the importance of providing a safe and well-educated understanding of religions. It discusses some of the traditions which have…
Join us from 10am today for our week-long take-over of the #brilliantlyboro #creativefactory space in the Hill Street Centre, Middlesbrough, where we will be working from for the next week. So if you’re in Boro and fancy popping along and meeting with us, then we look forward to seeing you. What’s Going On There will…
I’m an illustrator who grew up in the Tees Valley, I studied my foundation diploma at Cleveland College of Art and Design and studied illustration at Leeds Arts University. I graduated last July and I am currently living in Leeds working on freelance illustration projects. Being asked to create a map for the Real Tees…
A film made by young people in Redcar & Cleveland has been shortlisted for the Chris Anderson Award for Best Young Filmmaker at the Berwick upon Tweed Film and Media Arts Festival 2013. The Award is given to the best short films from young filmmakers under 19 in North East England and South East Scotland who compete for a cash prize donated by the family of the late Chris Anderson – including his son, blockbuster director Paul W.S. Anderson who has directed films such as Alien vs Predator and Resident Evil . The winner will be announced at the Young Filmmakers showcase on Sunday 29th September at The Maltings Cinema & Theatre in Berwick where all the nominated films will be screened.
The Film entitled The Lottery Ticket is a 5 minute short film made up of a series of drawings by the young people about a man who finds a winning lottery ticket on the street, he knows the poor family it belongs to but will he return it or cash it in? He faces a moral dilemma, we see the consequences of his actions unfold but can he rectify his mistake in time…
The film was made as part of Tees Valley Arts’ Moving On project, a J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust funded project which uses the arts to help give the young people in the care of the local authority a range of skills to help them to move on positively, adding value to the dedicated work of the Care Teams.
The film was made in one day by young people working with writer and filmmaker Laura Degnan.
Jane Gray, Education Officer at Tees Valley Arts commented:-
“The young people have achieved a great deal throughout this project – not just great artwork, but confidence and self-esteem, teamwork, leadership, communication skills and personal development. We’re all extremely proud of their achievements and it is a fantastic achievement to have their work showcased at the Berwick International Film Festival”
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust ‘Making a Difference’ awards evening was held on February 1st 2013 at Hardwick Hall, hosted by BBC Breakfast presenter and TVA patron Steph McGovern. The “Making a Difference’ award are the Trust’s annual staff awards which celebrate the dedication, achievements and successes of individual staff and teams across the Trust.
We were delighted that The Evergreen Centre at West Lane Hospital, Middlesbrough won in the partnership working category for its work with Tees Valley Arts to engage young people with eating disorders – using art and writing to express their feelings and to develop a book which is used as a therapeutic tool. Thanks to Joe Dunne and Laura Degnan, who worked as visual artist and writer on the project.
