The short, professionally made film Rufus Stone is the key output of the three-year ‘Gay and Pleasant Land?’ research project led by Bournemouth University academic, Dr Kip Jones. This project about positioning, ageing and gay life in rural South West England and Wales was a work package in the UK-wide New Dynamics of Ageing Project, “Grey and Pleasant Land?: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Connectivity of Older People in Rural Civic Society”. The projects were funded by Research Councils UK. The film was produced by Parkville Pictures, London and directed by Josh Appignanesi (The Infidel).
The stories that form the foundation of the script for Rufus Stone are entirely based upon research undertaken by Jones and his team from the University’s School of Health and Social Care and with the assistance of a citizens’ Advisory Committee. The film’s ‘fictional’ story was created over time using composite characters and situations, all uncovered in the “Gay and Pleasant Land?” Research Project, through in-depth biographic life story interviews, focus groups, and actual site visits to the rural locations where older gay or lesbian citizens were living.
- Watch the film
- Listen to an interview which explores the process of and the experience of making a fictional film from the research material
