Myths and Legends in South Yorkshire
Supporting Sensoria through our Propeller Awards

Sensoria take aim at the motley history of the Robin Hood legend with support from our micro-funding programme.

Sensoria - the UK's festival of film and music - are dedicating their 2019 programme to an exploration of the worlds of myths and legends. As a preamble to the main events taking place across Sheffield in September and October, the festival are setting their sights on the region's most celebrated folkloric hero: Robin of Loxley, the sharpshooting son of South Yorkshire better known as Robin Hood.

True to the spirit of the nature-dwelling outlaw, Sensoria begin their Robin Hood appreciation with a retreat to the forrest. On 31 August, they're taking over Storrs Wood a mere hop, skip and a vine swing away from Hood's traditional birthplace for a special film screening in the great outdoors.

The natural choice of film to match such a fitting location? The Adventures of Robin Hood: the 1938 Technicolor swashbuckler that remains the benchmark cinematic depiction of the beloved hero, topping a filmography that spans over a century (!) and runs into the dozens. Errol Flynn is at his acrobatic, charismatic best in the title role, squaring off against his long-time sparring partner Basil Rathbone as the nefarious Sir Guy of Gisbourne. They duel and dash their way through a series of action sequences accompanied by a dynamic, symphonic score from Erich Korngold - a vibrant addition to the film's world that would lay the musical template for generations of Hollywood epics to come.

In addition to the main feature, audiences will enjoy a short introduction highlighting the region's many connections to, and stories surrounding, the perennial folk hero. And there's also the chance to delve further into the Robin Hood mythos through an accompanying booklet and location-based mobile app produced through collaborations with Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Contemporary Legend and the University of Sheffield's Humanities Research Institute. 

Film Hub North funding will support Sensoria to transform Storrs Wood into a screening venue fit for an outlaw king and provide transport for local audiences keen to experience their area's rich history in a new way.

Find out more

Sensoria present an outdoor screening of The Adventures of Robin Hood in a Loxley Valley woodland with support from our Propeller Awards. For more information on how we can help with your next project, visit our Exhibition Funding homepage.