Uncovering Hidden Treasures: A Powerful Film and Local History Project in Evenwood

Evenwood’s Hidden Treasures is a film and local history project exploring how young people from Evenwood, a small village in County Durham, have been quietly reshaping how they see their community — through the lens of one of the oldest forms of photography.

Commissioned by Helix Arts and funded by the Co-op Foundation and YMCA, the project invited participants to explore their identity and sense of place through collaboration with the Evenwood History Group. Using pinhole photography, the group set out to uncover echoes of the past in their everyday surroundings, creating a moving blend of creative expression and community heritage.

The project began with a simple but revealing question: “Do you recognise these places?” When members of the history group shared archival photographs of Evenwood, many of the young people didn’t. The scenes — coal yards, terraces, village shops — felt distant or unfamiliar. Yet they were taken in the very streets where the young people lived. That initial disconnect soon sparked curiosity, and that curiosity became the foundation for discovery.

With handmade pinhole cameras in hand, the group ventured out to re-photograph the same locations from the archives. Pinhole photography is a slow process. Exposures can last up to a minute, and the resulting images emerge gradually, with a soft, dreamlike quality. In contrast to the speed and immediacy of digital photography, this process encouraged the young people to slow down, look closely, and really engage with the places around them.

One participant reflected:

“You understand where they came from — why they took those pictures, and how they actually took them.”

For many, the project became about more than just photography. It encouraged reflection, teamwork, and connection. Youth workers and teachers involved in the project commented on how it helped reduce isolation, foster confidence, and create space for meaningful dialogue. The group began to see their surroundings differently — not just as scenery, but as shared history.

Another young participant added:

“At first I thought it would be boring and not my thing. But it’s actually been really good. I feel more part of my town now.”

When the first prints began to develop, the reactions were often astonished.

“When I first saw my image developing, I was like ‘Wow.’ You’d think it came off a phone — it looks mint.”

The project culminated in the creation of a geocache trail across Evenwood. The young people placed their prints into small geocache boxes, mapping them around the village. Local residents were invited to follow the trail, discover the images, and leave behind their own responses — written reflections, sketches, or doodles. With additional support from Northern Heartlands, the trail continues to grow, inspiring more young people to take part and connect with their community’s stories.

As a filmmaker, I was invited to document this journey from start to finish — not simply as a recorder, but as an active participant in something deeply human. What unfolded in front of the camera was more than a creative process; it was a lived encounter between young people and the stories embedded in their environment. This film and local history project offered a rare opportunity to witness how storytelling, photography, and place can intersect to create new ways of seeing and belonging.

What struck me most wasn’t just the striking pinhole images themselves, but the quiet emotional shifts that took place over time. The film doesn’t merely chart a timeline of activities or outcomes. Instead, it reveals a slow transformation — a deepening connection between young people and the community they thought they already knew. Through shared learning, hands-on creativity, and intergenerational dialogue, they began to develop a new sense of ownership and understanding.

Through shared experiences, reflective moments, and carefully composed shots, I saw familiar places reawaken in new ways. Buildings once ignored became points of curiosity. Landscapes transformed from mundane to meaningful. Stories that had slipped into obscurity were suddenly alive again. Photography became a bridge — not just between generations, but between different ways of seeing and feeling connected to place.

This film and local history project is a reminder that the most powerful creative work often happens quietly — through slowness, attention, and care. It’s in the gentle framing of a window, the rediscovery of a forgotten path, the shared laughter in a darkroom. These are the moments where history is not just remembered, but re-inhabited.

As a filmmaker, these are the stories I’m most drawn to — where small acts of creativity reveal deep social and emotional change. Film and local history come together here not as separate strands, but as an intertwined way of understanding how we live, remember, and connect.

If you’d like to watch more of my work exploring community stories, creative resilience, and diverse subjects across arts, heritage, and the environment, you can explore all my films here:

👉 https://alanfentiman.co.uk/films-by-alan-fentiman/

🎥 You can explore more youth-focused creative documentaries at:

👉 alanfentiman.co.uk/vimeo-videos/young-people