Eyes of Fire

From the collection of

North East Film Archive
The North East Film Archive, based at Teesside University, save and celebrate the screen heritage of the North East of England. At the heart of their collection are films made by, and for, local people, reflecting and representing the communities, places and distinctive identity of the region. Together with their sister archive in Yorkshire they form the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, a unique pan-regional resource with over 75,000 moving image artefacts, part of York St John University. They unlock the collections for artists, academics, curators, programmers, researchers, and producers to reveal compelling stories from the vaults. www.yfanefa.com

Eyes of Fire

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Be inspired by 1990s teens who wage war on climate apathy decades before Greta Thunberg's protests.

When the founder of Greenpeace was given a copy of Warriors of the Rainbow in 1969, he believed it was something special. The tract tells the story of an ancient prophecy by an American Cree woman who warns: "When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money."" Greenpeace took the text at face value and named their first ship in honour pf the Rainbow Warriors.

However, it later became apparent that the text was a fake. Warriors of the Rainbow had been written as an evangelical Christian religious tract, and was a particularly toxic version of cultural appropriation, as the intention was to attack Native culture. The children in this film , like the founder of Greenpeace, appear unaware of the film's true authorship.

An experimental music video produced by Animha Productions for Village Arts and Warriors of the Rainbow conceived and provided young people of East Cleveland. Through both animation and performance, they interpret an ancient American Cree prophesy relating to environmental disaster. Following the video, the 'making of', with those involved discussing their participation in the project and the reasons behind its creation.


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From the collection

Community Arts & Festivals

A lively mix of creative efforts brings fresh opportunities and perspectives to forgotten northern communities.
The healing power of art is especially important in the most deprived areas of the North East. While millions of pounds are invested in job creation and saving declining industries, the creative spirit of people living with deprivation is easily neglected. Community arts programmes are often the first victims of budget cuts. But, as these films show, community art can leave a legacy of hope, curiosity, and self-confidence among the people who need nurturing most. Village Arts was a community filmmaking organisation set up in the 1980s to give creative outlets to people living in cultural deserts. In the 1990s Village Arts launched a project to bring together some of East Cleveland's most remote communities, and artists and filmmakers who could help them find their voice. These films are a legacy of that unique collaboration.

10 videos in this collection

1

Lingdale Carnival and Carlin How Gala 1990

2

Carling How Gala 1992

3

Avalanche Arts

4

Pier Pressure '97

5

Animation Workshop

6

Tees

7

Eyes of Fire

8

Life is Just a Dream on the Way to Death

9

Skinningrove Bonfire: Pirates 1999

10

Learning Together

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