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Here's an extract from a blog post I wrote earlier this summer, which can be viewed in full via the link at the bottom of this post:
As the media and music scenes converge on the Somerset Levels this month for the Glastonbury Music Festival, bringing with them legions of revellers that leave a trail of discarded wellies and broken tents in their wake, attention inevitably returns to the town’s connections with Arthurian Legend, and the quest for the Holy Grail. Whilst there is something undeniably legendary about the way that the town has cultivated its mystical and spiritual status for centuries, what is less than certain is whether it has any basis in fact. What is more interesting is that a Twelfth Century Welsh historian may have conspired to create the Glastonbury myth, possibly to conceal the truth that St Joseph of Arimathea, who allegedly brought the Cup of Christ to the British Isles, may in fact have found his final resting place in Wales rather than England.
An early convert to the Jesus movement, Joseph of Arimathea is sometimes claimed to be Jesus’ uncle. A rich merchant from the Judean Hills bordering Samaria, it was in his tomb that Jesus of Nazareth was interred following the Crucifixion. It was Joseph of Arimathea who was said to have held the cup that collected the blood of Christ on the cross, a vessel also identified as the cup used during the Last Supper as recorded in the New Testament. The conventional narrative then has Joseph visiting Britain in the years after the Resurrection, tasked by Philip the Apostle with spreading the Gospel in the Northern provinces of the Roman Empire. Joseph is believed to have settled in the vicinity of Glastonbury, planted his staff on nearby Wearyall Hill, where it took root as the Holy Thorn that remains in the town to this day. He is also believed to have founded the first Christianity community in the town, which grew to become Glastonbury Abbey.
The renowned scribe Gerald of Wales (the subject of a cartoon film narrated by Max Boyce, which itself achieved legendary status among Welsh schoolchildren of the late Eighties and early Nineties) wrote at the end of the Twelfth Century that he personally witnessed the discovery and exhumation of the remains of the legendary King Arthur and Queen Guinevere at Glastonbury Abbey. Much has been said about the convenience of the discovery following a fire at the Abbey that required expensive repairs. That announcement identified Glastonbury with the mythical Island of Avalon, named for the Welsh word afal (apple) and the area instantly became associated with the Arthurian quest for the Holy Grail, birthing a tourist tradition that has become a micro-industry all of its own.
Read in full here:
https://daniellyddon.wordpress.com/2022/06/20/is-joseph-of-arimathea-buried-in-south-wales/
BAFTA award winner joins The Final Punchline
UK indie production company Seraphim Pictures has attached BAFTA-winning David J. Evans to direct its forthcoming shortfilm "The Final Punchline". David won the BAFTA CymruBest Film award in 2006 for "Daddy's Girl" starring JaimeWinstone, and most recently directed the online superhero series "TheSplott Division". The Cardiff-based director has alsodirected episodes of the hit series "Caerdydd" for Welshlanguage channel S4C.
ABOUT THE FINAL PUNCHLINE ( www.indiegogo.com/punchline )
The Final Punchline follows stand-up comedian Jason Rees, a cancer patient determined to carry on entertainingdespite his deteriorating health. Filming is set to begin atthe end of March in Cardiff, South Wales, with part of the budgetbeing raised through online crowdfunding site IndieGoGo.com. The filmwill make its market debut at the March du Film of the Cannes FilmFestival, screening at the Short Film Corner from May 11th to 21st2011.
ABOUT SERAPHIM PICTURES ( www.seraphimpictures.com )
Seraphim Pictures is an independent production company based in South Wales, UK. Its portfolio includes short films,documentaries and music videos that have been screened across Europeand North Africa. The Company screened its first short film TheThings Unsaid at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.
The Final Punchline, Satellite Magazine and the IMDb
As the weeks go by we're gaining momentum on the project and starting to get some decent publicity. Our first press article was featured in the February edition of Los Ange les magazine Satellite - "transmitting the worlds of fashion, design and culture". You can read it online here:
http://satellite-mag.com/Satellite/TheFinalPunchline.html
On Friday the the film was accepted to the IMDb; the entry is now live with more details being added in the coming weeks. Check it out here and please hit the all-important Facebook like button:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1837680
With more articles and publicity lined up for the next few weeks you should see mention of the film online and when you're out and about! In the meantime our crowdfunding campaign is still ongoing at:
http://www.indiegogo.com/punchline
Please visit the page, hit the Facebook like button, share with your friends, leave supportive comments, and if you'd like to support the project donate whatever you can in return for rewards!
More news soon...
FILM'S A GO-GO THANKS TO INDIEGOGO
A UK production company has adopted an American approach to raising money for its new
short film. Seraphim Pictures of South Wales, UK has begun a crowdfunding campaign that
invites people from all over the world to donate small amounts of money to the budget of its
short film The Final Punchline . In return the company is offering rewards varying from screen
credits to set visits and premiere invites at http://www.indiegogo.com/punchline .
The Final Punchline is the story of Jason Rees, a twentysomething stand-up comedian who
develops a terminal brain tumour and turns his back on conventional treatment. They say that
laughter is the best medicine, and for Jason this could be the case. The film provides a voice
for those who choose quality of life over quantity and live as best they can with the time they
have left.
The Final Punchline will be filmed in Cardiff, South Wales at the end of March, with the
majority of cast and crew sourced locally. The campaign is hosted by US crowdfunding
website IndieGoGo and will run alongside traditional methods of private investment and
product placement funding. Company Director James Morgan said Websites and services
such as IndieGoGo are a fantastic resource. It gives up-and-coming filmmakers like us
opportunities that we wouldn't usually have, especially when there is an important story to be
told.
The Final Punchline will make its market debut at the March du Film at the Cannes Film
Festival, running from May 11th to 22nd 2011. The film will be screened at the March's Short
Film Corner, with further screenings intended for the American Film Market (Santa Monica
2011) and European Film Market (Berlin 2012).
ABOUT SERAPHIM PICTURES ( www.seraphimpictures.com )
Seraphim Pictures is an independent production company based in South Wales, UK. Its
portfolio includes short films, documentaries and music videos that have been screened
across Europe and North Africa. The Company screened its first short film The Things Unsaid
at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.
ABOUT INDIEGOGO ( www.indiegogo.com )
IndieGoGo was founded in 2008 to offer people with creative ideas the tools to build
campaigns to raise money. Campaigns include creative, cause-related or entrepreneurial
fundraising and are encouraged to make use of online social media tools for wide promotion.
My Company is offering a limited number of investment opportunities for our latest production. "Toy Soldiers" is a short film about the human cost of the continuing conflict in Afghanistan. The short will be filmed in South Wales in September and we are currently raising the production budget through product placement opportunities.
We are seeking a maximum of THREE investments of 5,000 plus a small number of 1,000 investements from UK-based companies and individuals. We have identified 8 film markets and festivals that we will target as routes to market, as well as potential television broadcasters in 15 countries and a number of online platforms.
Please message me to request a copy of the Investment Pack detailing the Proposal and ROI. Serious enquiries only.
Regards,
Daniel Lyddon
Company Director
Seraphim Pictures
