Professor Esther Johnson interviewed for Sunderland Echo at ceremony honouring WW1 soldier shot at dawn

An interview with Professor Esther Johnson, Professor of Film & Media Arts and Principal Lecturer in Film & Media Production at Sheffield Hallam University, featured in an article for the Sunderland Echo last week, in which Esther spoke about Asunder, why the North East was chosen as the focus and her choice of stories featured in the film.

The article describes a service held in Ypres to honour Sunderland soldier Robert Hope, shot at dawn for desertion 100 years ago. The Deptford-born former shipyard worker, who was more than likely shell-shocked by what he had witnessed in one of Britain’s bloodiest battles, was one of 306 men shot at dawn by their comrades in the conflict. Robert was shot on July 5, 1917 and has since been posthumously pardoned.

Read the full story here.

For more information about upcoming screenings click here.

Esther Johnson works at the intersection of artist moving image and documentary. Her poetic portraits focus on marginal worlds, revealing resonant stories that may otherwise remain hidden or ignored. Work has been exhibited internationally in 40 countries, and has also featured on television and radio. In 2012 Johnson won the Philip Leverhulme Prize in Performing and Visual Arts for young scholars. She is a Professor of Film & Media Art at Sheffield Hallam University. Find out more about Esther’s work here.

Asunder is co-commissioned by Sunderland Cultural Partnership and 14–18 NOW: WW1 Centenary Art Commissions, supported by The National Lottery through Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Sunderland Business Improvement District, Culture Bridge North East and Sir James Knott Trust.

Asunder is on Twitter @1916asunder.