The Scar (1997)
Amber Films
Film and Video
The first film in Amber's Coalfield Trilogy, exploring women's lives in the aftermath of the last colliery closures in East Durham.
It's the Pits (1995)
Amber Films
It's the Pits (1995)
Amber Films
A video documentary made with youth workers and young people, looking at the lives of young people in East Durham and the lack of facilities for them after the closure of the area's last coal mines.
- Film and Video
- Communities
- Industrial
- Politics & Struggles
- Popular Cultures
- Northern Documentary
- 1990 – 1999
- County Durham
Amber Films, 32 mins, 1995
It's the Pits is a video documentary created in collaboration with youth workers and young people from East Durham, focusing on their lives and the scarcity of facilities following the closure of the area's last coal mines.
The documentary sheds light on the challenges faced by the youth in East Durham during the post-industrial era, highlighting the lack of recreational and developmental facilities after the mining industry's decline. This project exemplifies Amber's commitment to community engagement and storytelling that reflects the socio-economic transformations in the region.
Amber Films was invited by local youth workers to undertake this project, with Barry Gough being a key figure. Barry later contributed to Amber's feature films The Scar (1997) and Like Father (2001). Additionally, he collaborated with photographer Peter Fryer and writer Graeme Rigby on the development of Fathers (2001) for one of Side Gallery's Coalfield Stories exhibitions. His involvement extended to Shooting Magpies (2005), the final instalment of Amber's coalfield trilogy, where he and his son Callum played lead roles. Barry's daughter Aimee also contributed by assisting photographer Karen Robinson in her Coalfield Stories project All Dressed Up (2005).
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Related Works
Durham Coalfield
John Davies
Photographic
A survey documenting the coal mining landscape of County Durham, exploring the impact of industry on the a working coalfield.
Like Father (2001)
Amber Films
Film and Video
The second drama in Amber's Coalfield Trilogy explores the lives of a grandfather, father and son as they come to terms with the post-pit closure landscape of East Durham.