TV drama filmed in Wakefield wins big at national film festival

Clara tells the story of 19th century diarist Clara Clarkson, who recorded her life in the city as an unmarried woman in a series of detailed journals.

Developed and filmed in the city last year, it was based on research by the Forgotten Women of Wakefield, a volunteer group seeking to tell the stories of the women who helped to shape the city’s past.

A pilot episode of the drama was premiered earlier this year, and the team hope to secure funding to complete the rest of the series in the near future.

And the show has now secured the award for Best Period Drama at the South Coast Film Festival, recognising the show’s hard work and cultural significance.

Sarah Cobham, founder of Dream Time Creative the company behind the Forgotten Women project, said she hoped the TV show would help to shine a light on the importance of the group’s work.

She said: "It's amazing. Our journey with Clara started at the beginning of lockdown, so we've faced the same issues as everyone else.

"It's a Wakefield story. It's filmed on location, it's a huge advocate for what we can do in Wakefield creatively.

"We were just absolutely gobsmacked to find out we'd won.

"I had a feeling we'd get something, but to be the winner was just really overwhelming.

"The South Coast Film Festival was the very first that we had entered into. Apparently films have to so the rounds for a while to get noticed on the festival circuit, but we've just gone straight in and won.

"We just knew that there was so much more to Clara than this woman who was cowered down, and now she's winning festivals.

"She's really demonstrating that there's so much more to her."

Celebrating the win on Facebook, the team said: “Clara WON! A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in the making of Clara.

“From all of us here at Dream Time Creative to you, without whom this iconic woman and her fascinating life would have remained forgotten.

“And a huge thank you to all our followers who have liked and shared the trailers and the posts, we absolutely would not be where we are today without your support.”

See forgottenwomenwake.com/clara for more information, or follow Clara - TV Drama on Facebook.