The Tales Between Us – Animation Film Release and Premiere

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The Tales Between Us – Animation Film Release and Premiere
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The night of Wednesday October 26th was an out-of-the-ordinary night for a special group of young people who graced the red carpet in Wexford town for the premiere of ‘The Tales Between Us’, a new animation of the folktales that connect Pembrokeshire and Wexford.
Ancient Connections – a four-year arts, heritage and tourism project linking North Pembrokeshire and North Wexford is delighted to celebrate the completion and release of this new short animation film created by school children from both sides of the Irish Sea.
The film was produced by Winding Snake Productions; an animation firm based in Cardiff who specialise in helping communities and schools create their stories through animation.
The project brought three schools together: Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, Scoil Naomh Maodhog and St Edan’s School, both in Ferns, County Wexford. For over a year children at these schools have been busily engaged in a programme of exchange visits and workshops in storytelling, script writing, puppet making and animation.
The children have been at the heart of this project, making choices about which stories to tell and how to tell them all the way along.
Many talented specialists from Ireland and Wales have been involved in mentoring the children such as storytellers Joe Brennan, Lorraine O’Dwyer and Daniel Morden and Deb Winter, artist David Begley, writers Sylvia Cullen and Nigel Crowle and puppet makers Ann Shrosbree and Bill Hamblett from Small World Theatre.
Music is by BAFTA Cymru winning composers Tic Ashfield and Benjamin Talbott with voice over by Sara Gregory and Róisín Murphy.
One pupil said of the project, “I really enjoyed the animation [project] because I had the chance to make new friends from Ireland and I also learnt some history about the local area.”
The film highlights tall tales and local legends that link the two regions; saints, sea beasts, banshees, mermaids, selkies and witches all feature in the film. We find out why no one ever goes fishing on St Martin’s Day, 11th November in Wexford and what happened to the mythical land of Cantre’r Gwaelod.
Glen Biseker of Winding Snake says:
There are a lot of stories and a rich history between the two regions, but finding the right parts from the trail was a priority and a big undertaking. With the help of storytellers and writers we unearthed some great stories.
The participants interpretation of those stories, through the production process, gives it a real identity.
It was great to work with the three schools, their commitment was unwavering; everyone that took part was willing to have a go whether that was in storytelling, art development & puppet making or animation.
These days Wales and Ireland are still connected, but through film and animation industries that work together regularly. I hope some of the participants might consider a future in the creative industries and continue those professional relationships.
The film is not yet available to view publically as it will be doing the rounds of film festivals in 2023, but a short documentary film about the project has been created by Wexford-based filmmaker Terence White and can be viewed here https://youtu.be/_IE2JAFuJSc
Ruth Jones, Project Officer for Ancient Connections says:
“It has been wonderful to see this project develop over the last eighteen months.
We’ve seen friendships flourish as well as a deeper understanding of the importance of knowing our stories and being able to share them. Winding Snake have given the young people involved such an incredible insight into animation filmmaking, and they have also learnt new skills from many other creative professionals. We hope that it’s an experience that they will remember all their lives and might even inspire some of them to take up creative careers.”
The Animating schools project forms one aspect of the wider Ancient Connections project, with the aim of motivating both communities to rediscover their shared heritage; to be mentors for one another; sharing knowledge, experience and skills to create a stronger sense of identity and place that will continue to thrive in years to come.
As well as celebrating shared culture, the film will be used to attract visitors to North Pembrokeshire and Wexford, in particular on the new pilgrim route The Wexford–Pembrokeshire Pilgrim Way which is due to be opened to the public in 2023.
Ancient Connections is led by Pembrokeshire County Council, together with partners Wexford County Council, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and Visit Wexford funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme.

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