ALL MY LIFE'S BURIED HERE -

The Story of George Butterworth

www.georgebutterworth.co.uk

ALL MY LIFE'S BURIED HERE will present the composer and folk song collector George Butterworth's story for the first time ever in a dedicated, feature length documentary. There has never been another composer quite like Butterworth, and his remarkable life demands a fitting cinematic account.  This portrait film is packed with brilliant music and encompasses poetry, tragedy, deep emotion, rebellion, folk song and dance, nature, and war.  It is a moving and compelling tale waiting to be told.  The filmmakers would like to think that after seeing this documentary you will never hear Butterworth's music in quite the same way again.

We are delighted to announce that the film has now been completed and had a resoundingly successful world premiere at The British Library on Saturday 26 January 2019.  

We are now asking for your help to support our nationwide distribution and promotion of George's film for screenings in venues all across the UK, including into a cinema near you.

Any level of donation that you can make will help us and there are some very special exclusive rewards available for supporters of our film at every level.

FUNDING AIMS

We are seeking to raise funds to cover the costs of physically distributing the completed film, promoting it and to pay for the production of additional DCP copies of the film, meaning we can distribute the film more efficiently across our target list of cinemas across all regions of the UK.

WHAT THE FILM WILL (AND WON'T) DO

ALL MY LIFE'S BURIED HERE aims to remove the thick gauze of history to reveal the true context of Butterworth's life by illuminating his story with contemporary archival materials that have never seen the light of day. This is a biographical portrait documentary that aims to bring about deeper understanding of Butterworth's life and work.

ALL MY LIFE'S BURIED HERE is the result of more than three years spent securing exclusive access to all known George Butterworth archive collections and to Butterworth's surviving family members, as well as traveling throughout the UK and into the Somme region of northern France to interview the contributors best able to add context and understanding to a narrative of Butterworth's life. Along the way the filmmakers have uncovered some fascinating new information about Butterworth's life and work which all appear in the documentary.

ALL MY LIFE'S BURIED HERE does not feature celebrity presenters expressing just how much Butterworth means to them, nor are we confronted by experts telling us how we should listen to Butterworth's music.  Instead we will be invited to enter the emotional heart of Butterworth's story and emerge with a better understanding of this unique and luminous figure.  We follow Butterworth's trajectory via a treasure trove of archival audio-visual material gathered together in one place for the first time. We accompany Butterworth on his folk song collecting trips into the countryside with Ralph Vaughan Williams and find out about what motivated this quest and who the singers really were. We experience all of Butterworth's best known orchestral works and song settings courtesy of classic performances under conductor (and friend of Butterworth) Sir Adrian Boult and exclusive new live performances by leading vocalist Roderick Williams, and we get insight into Butterworth's composing process and contemporary reactions to performances of his work.  We discover what led Butterworth to destroy so much of his own work before his death, and are present with him during the final minutes before the tragedy of his death on the front line.  Add to this unique insights from family recollections and analysis of Butterworth's life and times from the accounts of those who knew him, as well as from biographers and choice commentators, plus outstanding music exclusive to this film. Here is a feature documentary rich in content, comprehensive in scope, packed with emotion and crafted in a style that reflects the character of its subject.

ALL MY LIFE'S BURIED HERE - The Story of George Butterworth

Featuring music by:
Roderick Williams and Iain Burnside, Peta Webb, The London Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult (Lyrita), Mark Stone with Stephen Barlow, Walter Pardon, Bob and Ron Copper, May Bradley, William Kimber, Gordon Hall, Laura Smyth and Ted Kemp, Vic Gammon, The Wilson Family, The Witches of Elswick, Matthew Atherton.

Featured contributors:

Anthony Murphy
Hugh Butterworth
Ralph Allwood
Vic Gammon
Michael Heaney
Alun Howkins
Katie Howson
Malcolm Taylor
Jessica Smart
Readings by Michael Mears
'George Butterworth' played and danced by Matthew Cowan
'Julia Butterworth' and 'Young George' played by Shaunagh and Jesse Perity
'Soldier figure' played by Vincent Beuvry

UNIQUE GIFTS FOR SUPPORTERS

Every donation will earn the supporter gifts of some kind - see our supporter's gift list - and we have curated a unique set of gifts.

By arrangement with the artists we are proud to offer a set of exclusive live digital audio recordings of Roderick Williams and Iain Burnside performing three songs from Butterworth's settings of 'A Shropshire Lad' by A.E. Housman; a digital copy of the remarkable 1950s Eagle Comic strip drawn by Patrick Williams with it's own take on George Butterworth's story can also be yours. We are delighted to offer exclusive audio recordings of distinguished folk singer Peta Webb singing two songs ('Banks of Green Willow' and 'Green Bushes') from George Butterworth's handwritten folk song manuscripts.  Further up the scale are bespoke gifts such as the chance to book the film and filmmakers into your venue for a dedicated screening and Q&A event.

Risks & Challenges

With the film completed, the risks are minimal - and we are already offering it out to nationwide independent cinemas and arts centres.

However your funding support will help our efforts by increasing our ability to spread the word about our film and grab the attention of cinemas programmers across the UK.

Other Ways You Can Help

Would you like to see the film succeed but are unable to give money right now?  Perhaps you know someone else who may be interested in supporting the film, and you can share with them the link to our IndieGoGo campaign?   Even by mentioning the film in social media, liking or sharing the film's social media links you would be helping us to spread the word and to reach as many of George's audience as we can before the fundraising deadline. All goodwill towards the project will be gratefully received.