A production company making bespoke films for families and for schools. They also make charity and fundraising films for schools.
The company was formed in 2011 by Richard Hill and Suzanne Friend with the mission of making the very highest standards of film production available to sectors which have not historically been offered, nor been able to afford such a professional approach. Tapestry Pictures has extensive experience interviewing children and produce prospectus films for schools, which are characterised by very high
quality production, spontaneity and humour. Suzanne and Richard work with families to make films of oral history and grandparents' reflections, portraits of children at a particular moment in their growing up, moving tributes of all kinds and records of family life and events.
On this Holocaust Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the survivors who dedicate so much of their time to educate the younger generation. Their courage and resilience is an inspiration. This is the trailer for our latest film, ‘Kindertransport', for Holocaust Learning UK, which like all their films are available free to schools and colleges
It's hard to believe that this is our ninth year of filming Growing Up interviews and that some of the young teenagers we are now filming were just three or four years old when we first met!
We are thrilled that so many families are continuing the journey with us and have such a unique record of their children's evolving personalities. As many parents have told us, these are films to treasure for a lifetime.
We have a few filming slots left for October - do contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to book a slot.
750 Growing Up films completed! Over the last eight years we’ve been filming annual interviews with children and young people, from two to twenty two, as a record of their developing personalities. Answering questions from a third party (me) in the studio is an unusual opportunity for children and teenagers to reflect on their young lives. There is also plenty of laughter!
Amongst many other things, we’ve discussed potty training, shyness, making friends, teachers, creative endeavours, exams, first relationships, dreams and ambitions. We’ve heard about pet dogs, cats, hamsters, snakes and sharks. We've filmed performances for posterity: songs, poems, compositions and dramas. We now know a lot about football, ‘Frozen" and “Minecraft". Grandma, Grandad, uncles, aunts and cousins feature in many stories. Mums and dads have generally had leading roles. Heroes and villains are played by siblings. Seeing children talking in this context is often a revelation for parents and the conversations are certainly unpredictable for us. Who knew you could train a frog to attack, that there is a police station on top of the Eiffel Tower where you can acquire real handcuffs or that if you kiss a boy in reception you have to marry him? Who knew there comes a time when you have to make lunch dates at school or that fellow students will judge you for your shoes?
We have sometimes asked children what it would be like to have films of their own parents being interviewed and they are invariably excited by the idea. Like Tapestry's autobiographical films, these are films for parents and children to enjoy now and in the future and even pass on to subsequent generations.
We are looking forward to the next 750!
On Holocaust Memorial Day, we honour and commemorate those who were murdered by the N***s and their collaborators, and all those who have lost their lives in recent genocides. We think about all those who are victims of persecution and discrimination today.
“Out of the Darkness” Steven’s Story” (trailer is below) follows the journey of a young Amsterdam boy and his family when the N***s occupied Holland in 1941. After wondering for many years why he survived when so many others didn’t, Steven realised it was so that he could tell his story. He is now well on the way to delivering his 950th talk.
Set against a backdrop of the history of the war, the film highlights some of the moral dilemmas ordinary Dutch people faced when the N***s and their collaborators began rounding up the Jewish population. Asking questions of the viewer such as “What would you do?” and “Would you risk your life to rescue a stranger?”, Steven’s Story is designed to provoke thought and discussion about the Holocaust and modern-day prejudices, in the classroom and beyond.
Steven’s Story is 54 minutes in three parts – If you would like to screen the film for your school or organisation, please contact us, or HLUK on https://holocaustlearninguk.org/register/
As we approach Holocaust Memorial Day, I am sharing below the trailer for our film “Out of the Darkness: Janine’s Story”, which tells the story of the inspirational Holocaust survivor Janine Webber.
A little girl alone, having lost her parents and brother, hidden, living in an underground bunker, in a Convent and then with a priest, working as a maid at the age of twelve.
Janine was unable to speak about her experiences for 50 years – but with encouragement from her sons, she began to tell her story and now devotes her life to giving her testimony so that future generations can appreciate the evils of the Holocaust.
Janine’s Story is 59 minutes in two equal parts – If you would like to screen the film for your school or organisation, please get in touch with us, or HLUK at https://holocaustlearninguk.org/register/
On 27th January, this country will mark Holocaust Memorial Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Over the last three years we have been working with Holocaust Learning UK, making educational films for secondary schools. It is a huge privilege to meet and film courageous and inspiring survivors who devote their time to telling their stories so that future generations understand where prejudice and discrimination can lead.
The “Out of the Darkness” films are centred on our interviews with survivors and other testimony delivered by a cast of talented young actors who highlight the terrible moral choices people had to make. These accounts are put into context with archive footage and a narration from Jason Isaacs. The films are intended to foster an understanding of both the historical importance and contemporary relevance of the Holocaust.
They are available free to schools and include:
‘Assembly film’ (15 minutes) - trailer below, six survivors give a pan European overview of the key events of the Holocaust.
'Janine’s Story’ (59 minutes in two parts), a hidden Polish child’s fight for survival
‘Steven’s Story’ (54 minutes in three parts), the journey from Pre-War Holland into the dark day of N**i occupation
To register to screen the films, please get in touch with us, or https://holocaustlearninguk.org/register/
One of the many fascinating people we have filmed recently is Ruth Finnegan, FBA OBE, anthropologist and novelist, Open University Emeritus Professor and Honorary Fellow of Somerville College Oxford.
Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1933, nine-year-old Ruth and her family spent a year living in rural Donegal in a cottage without electricity when the US Navy requisitioned their family home as a vantage point for the Battle of the Atlantic. This experience in nature informed much of Ruth’s life and work in a career which spanned Oxford, Sierra Leone, Rhodesia, Nigeria, Fiji and the US. Ruth’s energy and enthusiasm are extraordinary. Now 89, she is writing a screenplay and several books of fiction and non-fiction.
Ruth’s daughter asked us to make a film about her mother to record some of her stories so that her family and future generations would always know the character beyond her many publications.
In this short clip filmed at Somerville College, Ruth looks back nostalgically to 1956, her first year as an undergraduate at Oxford.
Ruth Finnegan author Somerville College
Over the last ten years, we have filmed many people who wanted to record their life stories. We made a film for Bernie Bulkin to mark his eightieth birthday in which he reflected on how his ancestry and early life on a chicken farm and the rough streets of New York influenced his future path. That path has been a career which has spanned eighteen years in academia, eighteen in the commercial world of BP, and a further eighteen in business and government posts. Today he is still actively involved in many businesses, charities and NGOs. In this short clip, Bernie outlines one of the reasons he wanted to make a film.
As we approach the end of Tapestry’s tenth year, I’ve been reflecting on the autobiographical films we have made.
Filming people from all over the world, from so many different cultures and backgrounds, we have learned a lot, not just about people’s histories and experiences but from the wisdom that comes with age. To sit and listen to someone as they revisit their past, often delightedly remembering things they haven’t thought about for many years, is a great privilege. I think this is special for the subject too, because older people rarely get to talk at length to someone who is completely focused and has time to concentrate on what they have to say.
Some people tell us that their life hasn’t been exciting, but the truth is that every life is fascinating (although sometimes people need a bit of prompting to find the focus of their story). Of course, the people most interested will be their own families. These films not only tell the stories but capture personalities, recording how someone looks, talks, smiles and laughs. They preserve memories and family history, thus providing a connection between generations.
Richard and I set up Tapestry because we had both lost our parents and would have loved to have films like this for ourselves. Sadly, we didn’t manage this for our own families, but we are happy to know that what we are doing now will be truly valued.
These talented young actors give powerful and sensitive performances in "Out of the Darkness: Steven's Story", our new film for Holocaust Learning UK. Their delivery of short extracts from the moving and harrowing testimonies of survivors of the Holocaust is central to the film. We are so grateful for their participation, professionalism and empathy. A big thank you to .ung .plant .ahmd and Nancy, Jonbright and Caroline.
Our work with Holocaust Learning UK on producing films to educate young audiences feels so important today. Here's the trailer for our latest film, "Out of the Darkness: Steven's Story", which features the inspirational Holocaust survivor Steven Frank.
Steven was four years old when the N***s marched into Amsterdam, and his whole world changed. Narrated by Jason Isaacs and featuring a cast of fine young actors, the film addresses some of the unique and horrific themes of wartime Holland and the moral dilemmas ordinary people faced. Available free to schools for years 9-13, but of interest to adult audiences too, this is a film to provoke thought, discussion and questions - "What would you do?".
The film is available to watch on youtube for a limited window, and if you'd like to register your school to view the film, DM me for details.
Holocaust Learning UK
With travel chaos at airports, Summer holidays can be stressful for all of us. Eight years ago we interviewed this four year old who gave us a candid account of her air travel experience. We have been delighted to film her each year since then and are glad she has given us permission to share this clip from the start of her Growing Up story. Hope it brightens your day, and happy travels if you are heading away... holidays travel #
We send HM The Queen congratulations on her Platinum Jubilee! While the Queen looks back on her last seventy years, so will many of our older generation be reminiscing about that summer day in 1952 when the young Princess Elizabeth became Queen.
For many of the octogenarians and nonagenarians whose life stories we have filmed, the Coronation was a particularly memorable post-war event in their lives. And so this weekend, remember to talk to your parents, grandparents, and older friends about this day seventy years ago. They may be thinking nostalgically about celebrating with their own family that day, their street party, the excitement, lining the roads in London, or even if they were lucky, watching the events on their first very own television.
Everyone has a story to tell. They will enjoy reliving the memories, and you will doubtless learn something new about them, and about that historic day.
Happy weekend everyone!
Another fun-filled day of Growing Up filming. It's a joy to welcome back and catch up with our 'old' very young friends! We are booking now for July and October dates. Do DM us for details. Have a great weekend 😀
It's hard to believe but Tapestry Pictures is 10 years old! 🎉
When Richard and I set up Tapestry in 2012, our vision was to make films to capture and preserve the memories of peoples’ lives for future generations. Back then we could never have imagined the breadth and richness of the extraordinary stories and people we would film. From memories of being young soldiers, evacuees, refugees, those from privileged to the poorest starts in life, from the UK and across the world, we have learned countless inspiring stories of adversity, courage, success and love.
Back in 2012 we did not predict that ten years on we would also have filmed more than eight hundred interviews with young and adolescent children as a record of their Growing Up. We didn’t imagine that we would travel to Egypt, Kuala Lumpur, Spain and France, not to mention the length and breadth of the UK, making films for schools. Or that in 2020, we would start working with the charity Holocaust Learning UK, filming survivors and making such important educational films for schools.
The journey thus far has been fascinating, stimulating and at times challenging but more than anything it has been a huge privilege and I feel very fortunate to have met so many extraordinary people. Thank you to so many of you who have been part of the journey, whether as cast, crew or moral support! And hats off to Richard Hill for his imagination, intelligence and perfectionism – and for putting up with me this far!
Happy Birthday to us 🎉
We are thrilled that Out of the Darkness has been received so enthusiastically. Well done to the amazing team at Holocaust Learning UK
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On this Holocaust Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the survivors who dedicate so much of their time to educate the younger generation. Their courage and resilience is an inspiration. This is the trailer for our latest film, ‘Kindertransport', for Holocaust Learning UK, which like all their films are available free to schools and colleges
It's hard to believe that this is our ninth year of filming Growing Up interviews and that some of the young teenagers we are now filming were just three or four years old when we first met! We are thrilled that so many families are continuing the journey with us and have such a unique record of their children's evolving personalities. As many parents have told us, these are films to treasure for a lifetime. We have a few filming slots left for October - do contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to book a slot.
750 Growing Up films completed! Over the last eight years we’ve been filming annual interviews with children and young people, from two to twenty two, as a record of their developing personalities. Answering questions from a third party (me) in the studio is an unusual opportunity for children and teenagers to reflect on their young lives. There is also plenty of laughter! Amongst many other things, we’ve discussed potty training, shyness, making friends, teachers, creative endeavours, exams, first relationships, dreams and ambitions. We’ve heard about pet dogs, cats, hamsters, snakes and sharks. We've filmed performances for posterity: songs, poems, compositions and dramas. We now know a lot about football, ‘Frozen" and “Minecraft". Grandma, Grandad, uncles, aunts and cousins feature in many stories. Mums and dads have generally had leading roles. Heroes and villains are played by siblings. Seeing children talking in this context is often a revelation for parents and the conversations are certainly unpredictable for us. Who knew you could train a frog to attack, that there is a police station on top of the Eiffel Tower where you can acquire real handcuffs or that if you kiss a boy in reception you have to marry him? Who knew there comes a time when you have to make lunch dates at school or that fellow students will judge you for your shoes? We have sometimes asked children what it would be like to have films of their own parents being interviewed and they are invariably excited by the idea. Like Tapestry's autobiographical films, these are films for parents and children to enjoy now and in the future and even pass on to subsequent generations. We are looking forward to the next 750!
On Holocaust Memorial Day, we honour and commemorate those who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, and all those who have lost their lives in recent genocides. We think about all those who are victims of persecution and discrimination today. #neverforget #holocaustmemorialday
“Out of the Darkness” Steven’s Story” (trailer is below) follows the journey of a young Amsterdam boy and his family when the Nazis occupied Holland in 1941. After wondering for many years why he survived when so many others didn’t, Steven realised it was so that he could tell his story. He is now well on the way to delivering his 950th talk. Set against a backdrop of the history of the war, the film highlights some of the moral dilemmas ordinary Dutch people faced when the Nazis and their collaborators began rounding up the Jewish population. Asking questions of the viewer such as “What would you do?” and “Would you risk your life to rescue a stranger?”, Steven’s Story is designed to provoke thought and discussion about the Holocaust and modern-day prejudices, in the classroom and beyond. Steven’s Story is 54 minutes in three parts – If you would like to screen the film for your school or organisation, please contact us, or HLUK on https://holocaustlearninguk.org/register/ #holocaustmemorialday #holocausteducation
As we approach Holocaust Memorial Day, I am sharing below the trailer for our film “Out of the Darkness: Janine’s Story”, which tells the story of the inspirational Holocaust survivor Janine Webber. A little girl alone, having lost her parents and brother, hidden, living in an underground bunker, in a Convent and then with a priest, working as a maid at the age of twelve. Janine was unable to speak about her experiences for 50 years – but with encouragement from her sons, she began to tell her story and now devotes her life to giving her testimony so that future generations can appreciate the evils of the Holocaust. Janine’s Story is 59 minutes in two equal parts – If you would like to screen the film for your school or organisation, please get in touch with us, or HLUK at https://holocaustlearninguk.org/register/
On 27th January, this country will mark Holocaust Memorial Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Over the last three years we have been working with Holocaust Learning UK, making educational films for secondary schools. It is a huge privilege to meet and film courageous and inspiring survivors who devote their time to telling their stories so that future generations understand where prejudice and discrimination can lead. The “Out of the Darkness” films are centred on our interviews with survivors and other testimony delivered by a cast of talented young actors who highlight the terrible moral choices people had to make. These accounts are put into context with archive footage and a narration from Jason Isaacs. The films are intended to foster an understanding of both the historical importance and contemporary relevance of the Holocaust. They are available free to schools and include: ‘Assembly film’ (15 minutes) - trailer below, six survivors give a pan European overview of the key events of the Holocaust. 'Janine’s Story’ (59 minutes in two parts), a hidden Polish child’s fight for survival ‘Steven’s Story’ (54 minutes in three parts), the journey from Pre-War Holland into the dark day of Nazi occupation To register to screen the films, please get in touch with us, or https://holocaustlearninguk.org/register/
One of the many fascinating people we have filmed recently is Ruth Finnegan, FBA OBE, anthropologist and novelist, Open University Emeritus Professor and Honorary Fellow of Somerville College Oxford. Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1933, nine-year-old Ruth and her family spent a year living in rural Donegal in a cottage without electricity when the US Navy requisitioned their family home as a vantage point for the Battle of the Atlantic. This experience in nature informed much of Ruth’s life and work in a career which spanned Oxford, Sierra Leone, Rhodesia, Nigeria, Fiji and the US. Ruth’s energy and enthusiasm are extraordinary. Now 89, she is writing a screenplay and several books of fiction and non-fiction. Ruth’s daughter asked us to make a film about her mother to record some of her stories so that her family and future generations would always know the character beyond her many publications. In this short clip filmed at Somerville College, Ruth looks back nostalgically to 1956, her first year as an undergraduate at Oxford. Ruth Finnegan author Somerville College
Over the last ten years, we have filmed many people who wanted to record their life stories. We made a film for Bernie Bulkin to mark his eightieth birthday in which he reflected on how his ancestry and early life on a chicken farm and the rough streets of New York influenced his future path. That path has been a career which has spanned eighteen years in academia, eighteen in the commercial world of BP, and a further eighteen in business and government posts. Today he is still actively involved in many businesses, charities and NGOs. In this short clip, Bernie outlines one of the reasons he wanted to make a film.
Our work with Holocaust Learning UK on producing films to educate young audiences feels so important today. Here's the trailer for our latest film, "Out of the Darkness: Steven's Story", which features the inspirational Holocaust survivor Steven Frank. Steven was four years old when the Nazis marched into Amsterdam, and his whole world changed. Narrated by Jason Isaacs and featuring a cast of fine young actors, the film addresses some of the unique and horrific themes of wartime Holland and the moral dilemmas ordinary people faced. Available free to schools for years 9-13, but of interest to adult audiences too, this is a film to provoke thought, discussion and questions - "What would you do?". The film is available to watch on youtube for a limited window, and if you'd like to register your school to view the film, DM me for details. Holocaust Learning UK
With travel chaos at airports, Summer holidays can be stressful for all of us. Eight years ago we interviewed this four year old who gave us a candid account of her air travel experience. We have been delighted to film her each year since then and are glad she has given us permission to share this clip from the start of her Growing Up story. Hope it brightens your day, and happy travels if you are heading away... #childhood #summer holidays #air travel #
From the safety of our own homes, we've been making films from some of our clients' old footage. If you have footage hidden on your phone, desktop, hard drive or even on Super 8 reels where no one gets to see it, would you like us to make it into fun, watchable films? Here's a little clip to make you smile.
The children we film every year become pretty much like old friends. We had a lovely email yesterday from the grandmother of these two brothers who we started filming six years ago. "Just a quick thank you once again for your amazing videos. They really are our most prized possession and there is no greater gift each year." The first two years we filmed big brother by himself, and then his younger brother joined him. These short clips from their interviews over the last six years seem to capture something of the way they have been growing up, and their relationship. Precious memories!
This interview was filmed five years ago when this little boy was five. We filmed him again recently, now the grand old age of ten years old. He told us that he finds his younger self pretty funny. And so do we!
It was a privilege to film Mo and Abu remembering their childhood in Northern Sudan. In this short clip, they talk about their father, a much loved pioneering teacher
It was a privilege to film Owen Luder CBE telling the stories of his extraordinary life: Growing up in the 1930's in the Old Kent Road, living in London during the blitz, V1's and V2 rockets. Becomining an architect, surviving the Lakonia cruise line disaster. Designing epoch making so called "Brutalist" buildings. Twice President of the RIBA, travelled the world, honoured by the Queen. A "Londoner" with a beautiful house in Dylan Thomas's Laugharne. Commissioned by his daughters and filmed in the RIBA building and in his homes in Westminster and Laugharne, Owen's film not only covers his many stories, but is a record of his character, his opinions and advice for his children, grandchildren and future generations. Thank you Owen for allowing us to share this short clip about your early architectural ambitions.
A brother and sister recall their experience on a safari trip
The amazing Harry discusses life as a young boy growing up in London's East End
Another very enjoyable mathematical chat with a rather lovely young man
"The olden days - when our grandparents were young" After a busy autumn filming many wonderful conversations we are now taking bookings for our spring and summer "Growing Up" filming sessions. Do get in touch for details www.tapestrypictures.com or email [email protected]
