place

FfS is place-based.
That place is the combined watersheds of the Dyfi, the Rheidol, and the Ystwyth: the lands where rainfall might drain to the Irish Sea through those rivers.

The post-ice age landscape was dominated by temperate Celtic rainforest, pockets of which remain in the watersheds, as in this image from the Llyfnant below Bwlch Corog >>

FfilmSchool starts (and physically stays) in this place, but knows this place is ever-changing – for example, Ynyslas and Borth are likely sacrifices in coming decades to sea-level rise. This place also connects far beyond the watershed bounds, enmeshed with the wider world – the cameras we’ll use weren’t made here (or from here) after all.

The course has two residential weeks in Winter and Spring.
When the weather allows we can camp on the hillside of Bwlch Corog, home to our co-hosts Coetir Anian, the Cambrian Wildwood.

Coetir Anian are encouraging nearby refuges of temperate rainforest in the Llyfnant and its tributaries to spread and reseed Bwlch Corog and beyond, restoring the Celtic rainforest which can provide a powerful carbon-sink. Bwlch Corog is part of the area’s open-access land and Coetir Anian allow leave-no-trace wild camping. There is also a roundhouse, drop toilets, and a fire pit. They are providing tents for accommodation, living, and filmmaking.

Cefn Coch Farm, run by ecologist and agroecological farmer Joe Hope, co-hosts us at his barn Einion and cottage Llechwedd which provides us with shelter, washing and cooking facilities, (renewable) power, beds and warmth.

transport

FfilmSchool avoids private fossil fuel transport. We anticipate most of our successful applicants will be from the local area. FfS will pay for bus and train travel to and from Machynlleth Station at the start and end of the residential weeks. The Cambrian Line is not electrified, but TrC/TfW is not-for-profit and publicly owned. We will shuttle participants to the site from there. We have use of two electric vehicles: one generously provided as in-kind support by Aberystwyth University and one from TrydaNi, a community-owned electric car club based at Dyfi Eco Park. TrydaNi operates shared electric vehicles powered by renewable community-owned energy, aligned with our commitment to local, cooperative, and low-carbon infrastructures.

Participants are welcome to make their own way to site, although we prefer you not to use fossil fuel transport aside from public transport. Hiking or unassisted cycling to the site is for the highly athletic, the Cefn Coch rooms are over 200m above sea level up bumpy roads. Even lower power electric-assisted bikes will struggle, as I have experienced! The nearest bus stops are at the Black Lion Pub (from where it’s 3.6mi/6.8km with 700ft/213m climb) or at Garreg Farm (3.8mi/6.2km with 722ft/220m climb through spectacular Celtic Rainforest) or it’s rolling journey from Mach station (4.1mi/6.6km climbing 866ft/264m).

If you choose to commute rather than stay on site, and logistics allow, we may be able to provide electric vehicle transport. We also have access to electric bikes / cargo bikes from Eco Hub Aber (which we’re more likely to use in the Spring). Lower powered ebikes are available from Seiclo Dyfi in Machynlleth, another community interest company sharing our values.

time

FfilmSchool runs from January – June 2026.

The main focus is the two residential weeks:
Winter-light week, January: arriving Saturday 10^th, departing after eight nights on Sunday 18^th.
Spring-light week, April-May: Friday 24^th until May 1^st, with camping (but not the Cefn Coch cottages) available until 2^nd.
It is a condition of participation that you are available during these weeks.

Working hours are scheduled with wellbeing in mind. This means that we’ll be working according to the 4-day week campaign’s 32-hour week, with regular breaks and rest days. During this rest participants can do what they wish. There will be some non-compulsory activities arranged in non-work time, and you’ll get a say in what constitutes work and what doesn’t.
This is not normal for documetary film production, and one of the things we’re looking at is whether it’s possible to make a film in this amount of time! And is it anti-extractivist to enforce rest? All to be discussed.
Collaborators will not always have their work hours at the same time. There will be opportunities to volunteer with Coetir Anian’s ecological work at Bwlch Corog.

calendar

money

Ffilm Cymru Wales Connector Fund has enabled FfilmSchool to recruit the six conspirators so that they can be paid for their time. We are also grateful to CO₂RE Arts whose funding is enabling the operation of FfilmSchool as a filmmaking collective. We could not be going ahead with this without the generous support of both our main funders.

FfilmSchool is paying conspirators because money is the chief barrier preventing equitable access to documentary filmmaking and its education. It is our hope that by offering this compensation, you who thought you’d not have the opportunity to do something like this, realise it is for you.

In its creative challenge fund, the BFI set a minimum rate of £110 for an eight-hour day for participants. We’ve taken that figure and amended it to the 4-day week campaign’s thirty-two hour week. That comes out at £17.19 per hour.

You’ll get £550 for each of the residential weeks, then £17.19 for each of at least 16 hours braiding – beyond that we’re not sure. For full transparency, we’re also not sure we’ll have the funds to pay you to come to the May Day live-cinema community review or the community review premiere on 6^th June.

Conspirators can choose to withdraw at any time, without giving a reason. If you choose to withdraw during the residential weeks, you will be paid for the days you have participated, including the full day on which you choose to withdraw. A six hour twenty-four minute day’s fee is £110. If you withdraw after the 3rd participation day of either residential week, you’ll be entitled to the full £550 for that week. You’ll be entitled to the full fee if you need to withdraw at any point in the week for health, bereavement or essential caregiving reasons. We reserve the right to offer your place to another applicant if you choose to withdraw before the weeks have started.

Please note that you are responsible for any tax or benefit implications for accepting these payments. We may be able to substitute payment for the means of production (Cameras, lenses other recording equipment) if this suits conspirators better.

food

Altaea Fradley is our caterer-conspirator. She and our co-caterer will provide us with three meals a day, with ingredients sourced from agroecological local ethical food providers. The food will be vegan-centred, with Altaea also offering sparing high-welfare animal products as lower impact than vegan substitutes. These include wild venison from Coed y Brenin (deer inhibit forest regeneration in the absence of natural predators); local regenerative mutton; Cefn Coch’s Highland cattle, and products from the ethical ‘calf and kid at foot’ Dyfi Dairy. She also promises us eggs from her own free-grazing ducks and chickens. Fully vegan options will always be available. The catering teams’ contribution will be recognised in our film work, crediting them as co-authors and owners of the film.