"Everything starts with a conversation" – Juliet Klottrup discusses the story behind her award-winning short film

The road I live on connects Yorkshire to Cumbria, and each May and June, travelers pass by on their way to Appleby Horse Fair. Since 2019, I’ve been documenting families along this route – a ritual that retraces the steps of past generations. That’s how I met Joe, over three years ago, out on the moors with his horses and wagon.

Capturing this community’s journey to a historic home feels more vital than ever. Joe’s voice carries a deep pride in his heritage, and the way he lives – rooted in tradition, despite the changing world around him – his history, like so many others, is etched into this landscape.

With respect and openness. It’s a privilege to be trusted with Joe’s story and to have taken these portraits over time. I deeply value the community and the importance of documenting their legacy – it feels both local and personal.

Everything starts with a conversation. I never underestimate the intimacy of taking someone’s portrait. The ongoing marginalization of the traveling and gypsy communities with misconceptions and negative media portrayals has strained relationships and hindered the inclusion of these communities in non-traveling environments.

That makes it all the more vital to preserve the strength of their heritage. I’ll continue to record what I see: family, ceremony, gentleness, and tradition.

Filming portraits and 8mm vignettes of Joe’s daily life over the years gave me a rich, living archive to draw from. The more time I spent with him – and in the familiar landscape we shared – the clearer it became to me what else needed to be included.

I think Joe’s sentiment of “not forgetting where you’ve come from and who you are” is a valuable lesson and his words felt like a guiding thread while shaping the film. His lived experience is so unique and personal, yet many have told me they connected with his story, despite coming from different worlds. It’s been moving to see how much more connects us than separates us.

Over several years. After sharing life stories and cups of tea, I kept returning to visit Joe and his horses. He’d let me know when the weather was good and if it was a good day to stop by. We spoke at length about his heritage and personal history.

Joe is very philosophical, and through many long conversations, I came to realize how his voice embodies a deep passion for his heritage and culture. His way of life – journeying with his horses across the landscape, despite the ever-changing world around him – felt more important than ever to capture on film.

As an artist working across different mediums, I feel like where one medium stops, another one starts. In my stills photography, I use medium format film, so I wanted the same rich, archival timelessness for moving image.

I shot 8mm film while working solo, often bringing my 8mm camera along when capturing stills. For the 16mm film, I collaborated with cinematographer Sam Finney and we had every season of weather during the shoot! By blending 8mm and 16mm through the film with my editor Luke Anderson, we could weave together memory, the past, present, and future.

Working outdoors with natural light – and in all weather – was a constant variable I couldn’t control. But that unpredictability brought its own kind of magic, adding a sense of mystery to how the work would feel and be seen.