My Friend Eric - a film

In early 2008 Justin Partyka acquired a small digital camera. The camera sat around gathering dust until he discovered it had a video function. Intrigued by the idea of carrying a "video camera" in his pocket, Partyka started to take the camera to the fields and farms he visits for The East Anglians project; especially the farm of 99 year old Eric Wortley, where he typically goes once a week. The camera soon went from being "just something to play around with," to being used equally alongside Partyka's 35mm film cameras.

The result is My Friend Eric: the story of Eric Wortley and the agrarian tradition that he represents. The film subtly explores the decline of Eric's world, the importance of memory, and how this world clings to the past. At the same time the film interweaves Partyka's experience of photographing this agrarian world, and his friendship with Eric.

My Friend Eric is a work in progress, and Partyka has so far recorded approximately 100 hours of video. My Friend Eric is expected to be ready for release in Summer 2010.

A 7.44 minute trailer of the film premiered as part of The East Anglians exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, UK, 29 September - 13 December 2009. It is now showing at Gainsborough's House, Sudbury, Suffolk, until 26 June 2010.

It can also be seen on youtube.

Please send an e-mail for permission to embed the trailer on blogs or websites.