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Clip description
In an excerpt from the only surviving interview with Bob Mathews, one of the founders of the Realist Film Unit, he describes the beginnings of his interest in film. Meanwhile, filmmaker John Hughes looks through the old film canisters Mathews’s daughter Sue has discovered in his cellar.
Curator’s notes
The Archive Project is in part a detective story as Hughes pursues the people, records and artefacts that reveal the history of the Realist Film Unit. Rediscovered fragments invite speculation upon bigger stories and Carl Vine’s dramatic score helps involve the audience in the excitement of discovery.
There’s also a sense of sadness at the loss of parts of the story. We learn from Sue that Bob Mathews is in care, suffering from dementia and no longer able to recall the content of his films. He died before The Archive Project was completed.
