Covering Media

Image from 40 YEARS ON, produced by the National Coal Board, 1978 as seen in THE MINERS' HYMNS, a film by Bill Morrison. Courtesy of Icarus Films.

The Miners' Hymns (2010/2012)

Opened: 02/08/2012 Limited

Trailer: Click for trailer

Websites: Home

Genre: British Drama

Rated: Unrated

Synopsis

The Miners' Hymns is a inspired documentary depicting the ill-fated mining community in North East England. The film, which tells its story entirely without words, features a original score by the Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson who collaborated on the project from its inception with the American filmmaker Bill Morrison.

Using archival from the British Film Institute, the BBC, and other sources, The Miners Hymns celebrates social, cultural, and political aspects of the extinct industry, including the strong regional tradition of colliery brass bands.

Focusing on the Durham coalfield located in the northeastern United Kingdom, the film depicts the hardship of pit work, the role of Trade Unions in organizing and fighting for workers' rights, the annual Miners' Gala in Durham. It also portrays the pitched battles between miners and police, representing the British government under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, that took place during a 1984 strike and sounded the death knell for the British mining industry.

The Miners' Hymns weaves together footage from the past 100 years, from the early 1900s, through years of increased mechanization, to the miners' strikes of the 1980s. The film also includes two contemporary aerial sequences, shot in color from a helicopter hovering over the sites of former collieries, that have become sites of modern consumerism. The Miners' Hymns is a reminder of decision about labor made a generation whose repercussions continue today.

Bill Morrison Biography

Director Bill Morrison was born in Chicago, Illinois. He is a filmmaker and multimedia artist whose work has been screened at festivals, museums and concert halls worldwide, including the Sundance Film Festival, the Tate Modern, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Museum of Modern Art has acquired eight of his titles for their permanent collection. Morrison has been commissioned to create films for numerous composers, including John Adams, Laurie Anderson, Gavin Bryars, Dave Douglas, Richard Einhorn, Bill Frisell, Michael Gordon, Henryk Gorecki, Vijay Iyer, Johann Johannsson, David Lang, Harry Partch, Steve Reich and Julia Wolfe. Morrison has received the Alpert Award as well as fellowships from Creative Capital, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and the NEA. His multimedia stage work with the Ridge Theater has been recognized with two Bessie awards and an Obie Award. Decasia, his feature length collaboration with composer Michael Gordon, was described by The Village Voice film critic J. Hoberman as "the most widely acclaimed American avant-garde film of the fin-de-siecle." Bill Morrison currently lives in New York.

More information: www.HypnoticPictures.com

Johann Johannsson Biography

Composer Johann Johannsson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is known for his distinctive blend of classical orchestration and electronica. Although mostly instrumental, Johann's work often involves complex narratives, which deal with humans' relationship with the world of machines and decaying and obsolete technology. His music often incorporates found recordings. His score for the play Englaborn was released in 2002 on the British label Touch, and then re-released, in 2007, by 4AD. Johannsson's second album, "Virthulegu Forsetar" (2004, Touch) was written for a brass ensemble, pipe organ, electronic drones and percussion. His thi rd album, " IBM 1401: A User 's Manual" (2006, 4AD), involved a 60 piece string orchestra. "Fordlandia" (2008, 4AD), which combined minimalist string writing and baroque-influenced counterpoint with elements derived from Krautrock, post-rock, glitch electronics and Icelandic folk music, was voted best classical album of 2008 at the Icelandic Music Awards. His fifth album, "And in the endless pause there came the sound of bees?" (Type, 2010), is comprised of his award winning music for Marc Craste's animated film "Varmints."

Johannsson signed to FatCat in 2010; the score for "The Miners' Hymns" is his first release for the label. Composed for brass band, pipe organ and electronics , it made its live premiere in Durham Cathedral in July 2010. "The Miners' Hymns" is a minimalist take on the traditions of England's colliery brass bands. The music, also recorded in Durham Cathedral, will be released by FatCat in 2011.

Johannsson has composed the scores for films including The Good Life (dir. Eva Mulvad, 2010), By Day and By Night (dir. Alejandro Molina, 2009), Dreams in Copenhagen (dir. Max Kestner, 2009), Varmints (dir. Marc Craste, 2008), Diary of a Madwoman (Janos Szazs, 2007), Voleur de Cheveaux (Micha Wald, 2007), and Wicker Park (dir. Paul McGuigan, 2004). He has worked and performed with artists including Marc Almond, Barry Adamson, and Pan Sonic. His collaborations with the internationally renowned choreographer and dancer Erna Omarsdottir have been performed widely across Europe.

Johannsson is founding member of Kitchen Motors, an art organization that curates events, commissions artwork, and releases records and has been an influential part of the Icelandic cultural scene for the last ten years. Members of mum, Sigur Ros, and Aniima have been affiliated with Kitchen Motors and participated in their projects. Johann's other side projects include the electronic "supergroup" Evil Madness and the all-analog Apparat Organ Quartet, which has been featured at London's ICA, New York's Central Park Summerstage, and Paris's Centre Pompidou. He performs regularly throughout Europe and the rest of the world with his 6 piece ensemble, which includes a string quartet, piano, electronics and percussion. He currently resides in Copenhagen, Denmark.

More information: www.JohannJohannsson.com