A group of farmers from Ceredigion are screening a documentary about mental health struggles on Sunday at at Eisteddfod Y Garreg Las.

The 20-minute documentary follows Richard ‘Oernant’ Jones, whose family farmed their organic dairy herd near Cardigan for generations, but who for 10 years lived with the turmoil of his herd testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

The farmers first came together to create the documentary when they attended a series of storytelling and filmmaking workshops, run by PhD researcher Bethan John and facilitator Jane Powell.

During the workshops, the group was supported through the different stages of co-producing the film — they created storyboards, came up with interview questions, and planned the filming.

There was no external film crew or editor, no-one else in control of the story. By making the film themselves, the purpose was to ensure the documentary truly reflects the lived experience of the farmers who feature in it.

The film will be screened first at Sinemaes at 12.30pm and again at 3pm at Aberystwyth University stand. After the screening, the group of farmers will form a panel discussion and Q&A with the audience to explore some of the themes and issues that came from the documentary and the participatory filmmaking process.

The researcher, Bethan, said: “The film explores difficult themes, some of which can be polarizing and have created tensions within our rural communities. In this way, the film acts as a provocation, and the events invite audience members to step outside of our bubbles and echo chambers, challenging us to find understanding and empathy, even if we disagree.” The film is part of Bethan’s PhD research project – a collaboration between the Centre for Alternative Technology, Aberystwyth University and Cardiff University – and by attending the screening events, audience members will become active participants within the research project, contributing their own experiences and knowledge that will feed into and influence the research findings.

This will be the first of a series of community film screening events, organised in venues across Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, with the aim of exploring the complex issues impacting our food and farming system.