Awen Productions CIC

Awen Productions CIC awen is a media production social enterprise based in West Cornwall. awen is run by directors Barbara Santi, Nick Harpley, and Stuart Norfolk.

The ethos at the heart of awen productions is the creative use of digital media as a tool for positive social change. Our work is about inspiring and empowering communities by telling stories through film. awen is the Cornish word for inspiration/muse. We operate with a "more-than-profit" ethos, which means all profits are routed directly back into community projects we're developing. The CIC format enables us to stay close both to the management and delivery of awen's projects.

Join us for a special preview of our new audio documentary at The Gardeners’ House, Penzance at 6pm 14.8.26
27/07/2026

Join us for a special preview of our new audio documentary at The Gardeners’ House, Penzance at 6pm 14.8.26

Join us for this special preview at The Gardeners' House Penzance on 14 August 6pm of our new audio documentary The Bird...
26/07/2026

Join us for this special preview at The Gardeners' House Penzance on 14 August 6pm of our new audio documentary

The Bird Sisters

In 1928, two unconventional sisters on a Cornish clifftop took in one injured jackdaw. Nearly a century later, the Mousehole Wild Bird Hospital Cornwall they created has saved thousands of seabirds - and now faces its greatest challenge.

Filmmaker Barbara Santi takes you on a journey through the extraordinary story of Dorothy and Phyllis Yglesias, who refused to live by Edwardian society's rules and instead built something that would outlast them both. From the bohemian art world of Newlyn to the Torrey Canyon oil disaster of 1967, from economic collapse to the devastating bird flu outbreak of 2022, this is a story of determination, compassion, and the power of refusing to give up.

Through rich archive recordings of Dorothy herself, rare interviews with those who knew the sisters, and voices from the Mousehole community who grew up with the hospital as part of village life, we discover two remarkable women who learned medicine by trial and error, lived with ravens in their studios, and became unlikely saints of conservation.

As the hospital approaches its hundredth anniversary in 2028, CEO Tamsin Smith and chair Jeremy Whittaker must navigate modern biosecurity threats while honouring the sisters' legacy. Can an institution built on intuition and dedication survive in an age of protocols and pandemics?

Narrated by actress Elaine Claxton, who volunteered at the hospital for a year and knows its magic firsthand.

Original music composed by Justin Wiggan.

Audio archive copyright Newlyn Archive.

Audio mix Richard Butler.

Produced, recorded and edited by Barbara Santi of awen productions

Funded by The British Academy/ Leverhulme Trust and Heritage Fund.

Running time: 31 minutes

Places are limited. Book a seat at https://thegardenershouse.org/event/thebirdsistersaudio/

Delighted to announce that our new three-year collaborative photography archive project has been funded by The National ...
23/07/2026

Delighted to announce that our new three-year collaborative photography archive project has been funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Myner Trust.

Join us to explore the Serena Wadham collection - A Glimpse of Serena Wadham Exhibition at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens Gallery and a talk at The Morrab Library.

Serena Wadham (1930–2006) was a pioneering photojournalist who documented Britain’s defining social movements — feminist activism, peace protests, working-class life, famous artists and ordinary people. Although seven of her portraits are held at the National Portrait Gallery, her work remains virtually unknown.

This exciting project reaches communities in Cornwall and in Islington, London — the two places she called home.

Produced by Barbara Santi of Awen Productions CIC in partnership with Lesley Billingham, Josie Goddard and The Morrab Library.

For more info visit www.awen.org.uk

https://www.tremenheere.co.uk/exhibition/a-glimpse-of-serena-wadham/

https://morrablibrary.org.uk/event/library-talks-a-glimpse-of-serena-wadham/

The Sunflower Project 🌻 Commissioned by , this short film explores how we address death, dying and bereavement with adul...
08/07/2026

The Sunflower Project 🌻

Commissioned by , this short film explores how we address death, dying and bereavement with adults who have learning disabilities or autism.

A collaboration between and , the piece weaves Ruby's evocative animations into Barbara's powerful documentary filmmaking.

The Sunflower Project is named in memory of Maurice Shurmer, who loved sunflowers, and this film is dedicated to the Cornwall People First members who are no longer with us.

They live on in our hearts and memories.

The film is available to watch in full at awen.org.uk through the link in our bio.

Reach out to [email protected] if you would like to find out more about the support they offer.

Meet the team at awen productions 📽 Press and Publicity Officer Danielle Hutchinson is a multimedia journalist, filmmak...
26/06/2026

Meet the team at awen productions 📽

Press and Publicity Officer Danielle Hutchinson is a multimedia journalist, filmmaker and content creator from West Cornwall.

joined awen in 2025 and hosted the premiere of our award-winning funded documentary 'Gentle, Angry Women' which is currently touring cinemas and film festivals across the UK.

She leads the social media strategy for and recently joined Director in London as a production assistant for an upcoming short documentary...

Head to our website (link in bio) to find out more!

Meet the team at awen productions 📽 Director and Co-Founder of Nick Harpley is a filmmaker, composer, designer and arti...
26/06/2026

Meet the team at awen productions 📽

Director and Co-Founder of Nick Harpley is a filmmaker, composer, designer and artist with over 20 years of experience working with digital and web-based applications.

Nick developed the award-winning Walkabout series of apps, including 'Walkabout West Cornwall' (2015), designed our books 'Home of Springs', 'Trengwainton' (2018), as well as our book and website 'Jubilee Pool Stories' (2021).

Recently, Nick completed 'Echoes of Padstow' (2025), our National Lottery audio-visual Padstow archive website.

You will often hear Nick's music in our films 🎶

Head to our website (link in bio) to find out more!



📸 App image: 'A View of Mount's Bay with the North Pier' (c.1892) by Norman Garstin courtesy of

Meet the team at awen productions 📽Director and Co-Founder of awen productions is an award-winning documentary filmmake...
26/06/2026

Meet the team at awen productions 📽

Director and Co-Founder of awen productions is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with over 20 years of experience.

At the heart of her work is the use of inclusive and collaborative methods to empower and give a voice to under-represented communities.

Her documentary 'King for a Day' won the inaugural Doc Rowe Award in 2025 and, this year, her -funded documentary 'Gentle, Angry Women' won the Torc Award for History (Screen).

Currently, Barbara has a second feature in post-production and is lead director/producer on awen's audio-visual projects and short films.

Barbara also leads awen productions' documentary film branch which shines a light on untold stories of people and place.

Head to our website (link in bio) to find out more!

Meet the team at awen productions 📽Director of Ruby Ingleheart is a visual artist working across a range of media inclu...
25/06/2026

Meet the team at awen productions 📽

Director of Ruby Ingleheart is a visual artist working across a range of media including animation, sound, video and photography.

joined awen in 2024 and leads our participatory workshops. Her work often engages with diverse communities, creating opportunities for collaborations.

Through workshops and community-based projects, she facilitates creative expression, allowing participants to share their own stories and ideas.

Currently, Ruby is co-delivering funded 'Cultural Voices' project (2026) reimagining museums and archives through cross-disciplinary arts and audio-visual storytelling.

Head to our website (link in bio) to find out more!

Celebrating 20 years of awen productions! 🎬✨️ is a documentary production company based in rural West Cornwall. We start...
22/06/2026

Celebrating 20 years of awen productions! 🎬✨️

is a documentary production company based in rural West Cornwall. We started in 2006, making films rooted in this place and the people that live here.

Working collaboratively, we treat the people whose stories we tell as creative partners.

We care about the voices that don't always get heard: folklore, rural stories, women's history, community memory, and the things that might otherwise slip away...

This year marks 20 years of awen 🎉 and we've been granted £50,000 of unrestricted funding over the next 3 years from Postcode Local Trust helping us to grow, strengthen our film education and community programme, extend our film outreach, and develop a new slate of film projects 📽

We're also enhancing , awen's new documentary strand, crafting untold stories of people and place.

To celebrate, this week we'll be introducing you to our brilliant team and giving you an insight into our latest projects...

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