Barnsley College student’s wildlife film goes global

Barnsley College Higher Education student Rebecca Sills has given the world a unique insight into wildlife in a South Yorkshire garden.

BA (Hons) Fine Art Practice student Rebecca teamed up with her father Dean to film ‘The Wild Garden’ – a documentary focused on animal activity in their Bolton-upon-Dearne garden during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The pair entered the documentary into film festivals around the globe and it caught the eye of judges. It was a finalist at the Flight Deck Film Festival in New York and was officially selected for festivals such as; Beyond The Curve in France; FlickFair festival in Los Angeles; Lift-Off Global Network Sessions; and Monthly Indie Shorts.

Closer to home, ‘The Wild Garden’ was also selected for the Dearne Community Arts' Festival.

Rebecca said: “The documentary came about during lockdown when we got a family of squirrels coming into our garden. I took a short clip of one and sent it into ITV’s Calendar programme and it was shown on TV. My Dad and I then started filming them each day from 5.00am or 6.00am and decided to make a wildlife film with the help of my Dad’s friend, Steve Call, who helped with the music, editing and titles.

“Making the documentary was an amazing experience, with father and daughter bonding and doing something positive during a difficult time. We are blown away with the success considering it's a low budget film which we funded ourselves.”

“It is very rewarding because my Dad and I did something positive in a year which has been hell for some people. It shows you can achieve anything if you try. The Wild Garden was fantastic to work on and see all the rewards.”

Visit www.barnsley.ac.uk/higher-education to find out more about Barnsley College's Higher Education courses such as HNC/D, foundation degrees, degrees and Higher Apprenticeships in a range of subjects including Construction, Popular Music and Sport.

Pictured: Rebecca (left) and Dean Sills with their Flight Desk Festival certificates