Of This Parish [Film]

Of This Parish is a 25-minute film essay made as part of a larger project of artistic research undertaken by David Prior and Frances Crow, which addresses the changing role of bells in contemporary culture. The film follows a fictionalized St. Anthony as he travels from a church tower in the centre of the town of Sul, Portugal, out to the threshold at which its bells can be heard. It is both a sonic portrait of the Parish in the Gralheira mountains where it is set and a meditation on the changing role of bells in a rural Catholic community.

Of This Parish begins with the idea of a Parish as territory defined by sound, a community whose borders are drawn by the earshot of a bell. As we travel from the epicenter of the community to its outer limits, we encounter bells used as a call to prayer, bells as time-keepers and alarms and also bells as pre-Christian protectors used to purify the air.

Of This Parish uses the format of the film essay to articulate its research themes through the interaction of text, sound and image. The narrative weaves local legends with mythical figures from the history of bells to explore broader themes pertaining to the relationship between sound territory and authority.

Of This Parish was commissioned by Binaural/Nodar and created during a residency in which Prior and Crow worked closely with the local community. It was first screened as part of the organized by Site, Sound and Place, Saturday 5th April, Little Theatre Cinema, ICIA at Bath University and has subsequently been screened at over 20 International film festivals, conferences and art galleries

Of This Parish was filmed on location in the parish of Sul and features the voice of Luís Costa, who was born in the region and is one of the founders of the Binaural/Nodar, the art organisation that co-produced the film with liminal. Liminal is a UK studio, which explores the relationship between, sound, space and listening. Of This Parish was made possible with support from the Arts Council England.