JANAPAR - Tom Allen's story of his four year, round-the-world, cycle adventure

Round-the-world cyclist and adventurer, Tom Allen, will be showing his film-documentary, Janapar, which tells the story of his four year epic cycle adventure. The film will be screened at Saddleworth Cricket Club On Monday 18^th November. Doors and bar open at 7.00pm with the film starting at 7.30pm. There will be a charity raffle to raise funds for Dr.Kershaw’s Hospice, with some great prizes to be won, including signed copies of Tom’s book, Janapar, which accompanies the film. After the film screening there will be a question and answer session with Tom, followed by a book signing.

The following write-up is taken from a press-release for the film.

 

ABOUT TOM ALLEN

 

23-year-old Englishman Tom Allen is all set for a successful career in IT, but he finds himself persisted by the question of our time: isn’t there more to life than this? Leaving it all behind, Tom sets off on the ultimate quest for freedom.

 

For the next 12,000 miles, with neither maps nor guidebooks, Tom films the unfolding of his dream. Despite an unexceptional background and with no athletic talent, he cycles and camps his way across three continents. But the journey takes an unlikely detour when he falls in love with an Iranian-Armenian girl.

 

Struggling to keep his dream alive, Tom convinces Tenny to get on a bicycle and join him. But when things don’t go to plan, Tom is forced to continue riding alone. His decisions lead him to the depths of the Sahara desert, where - amid challenges unimaginable - he catches a glimpse of the answer he set out to find.

 

Filmed over four years with cinematic ambition, Janapar - named after the Armenian word for journey - is an honest and life-affirming tale of finding what you’re looking for when you least expect it.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

More than half a decade in the making, Janapar is the directorial debut for James Newton who worked closely with Tom Allen as he captured every aspect of life on the road. Cut from over 300 hours of material shot in 32 countries, the film is an unprecedented self-documentary with cinematic ambition, featuring an original score by award-winning composer Vincent Watts. Janapar’s World Premiere was held at the 20th Raindance Film Festival in London.

 

STATEMENTS

James Newton / Producer-Director

When I first met Tom, he was about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. But neither of us knew what that would come to mean. A complete newcomer to the world of filmmaking, Tom agreed to shoot his experience on a MiniDV video camera. He would send me the footage whenever possible, and I would offer him feedback.

Over the next four years his story unfolded. It soon became highly personal, and Tom began telling his tale with frankness and intensity. While freelancing as a producer-director for the BBC, I spent my weekends assembling vignettes of Tom’s adventures and his burgeoning romance, trying to figure out how this extremely intimate experience could be shaped into a single narrative. After reading early drafts of Tom’s book and after many months of development, I finally had a script.

Like a typical indie filmmaker I blagged my way into someone’s storage cupboard, borrowed some equipment and convinced the best editor I knew to spend two months in a dark room with only me, a cup of tea and Tom’s raw material for company.

The footage spanned four years and three continents. Far beyond a simple journey, it depicted entire chapters of its subject’s life. Wrestling with the film’s structure, it soon became clear that the story was theatrical in scope. It possessed the power to inspire and to change the way people thought about life. It deserved more than to be told in simple chronological sequence. Thankfully, the feature-length format provided the creative freedom to do the story justice.

Janapar has universal themes. It was beautifully filmed by Tom with an unusual level of honesty. He invested a great deal of trust in the lens, and we hope that this is reflected in the finished film.

Director Filmography

James Newton is a documentary and factual TV producer-director. His most recent project was a one-off documentary for BBC One about survivors of violent crime, presented by Kirsty Young and including exclusive interviews with James Bulger's mother. This 9pm special, transmitted on August 23rd 2012, was James’ first hour-long broadcast piece and became the most-watched program in the slot. It received ‘Pick of the week’ in the Daily Mail, ‘One to watch’ in the Telegraph, and attracted strong reviews across the press. Janapar is his first theatrical feature documentary.

Tom Allen / Camera & Co-Director

I met James whilst preparing to take a huge leap of faith, leaving everything I knew behind to set out into the unknown. He was a director looking for stories, and although I was initially reluctant, he soon convinced me to film mine. I had no previous experience, and my early attempts at capturing my experiences were less than successful. But when my journey began to stray from the original plan, I recognised that the story was growing more interesting by the day. At that point I decided to invest in the storytelling role wholeheartedly.

As a complete newcomer to filmmaking, the biggest challenge of all was to reconfigure my perception of the medium and start shooting for the edit. Laypeople such as myself typically have no concept of the filmmaking process, assuming that stories emerge more-or-less fully formed in front of the cameras. I also had to train myself to form an honest, uninhibited relationship with the lens. This took months of practice, far too many failed attempts, and some serious soul-searching.

 

The footage I sent to James from the second and third years of adventure, and the unexpected relationship I found in that time, now forms the main story thread of Janapar. James and I worked hard on the production throughout 2011 and 2012. I was writing a book concurrently with the script development, and we’ve now got a finished feature documentary on our hands, which we’re really proud of. Looking back, it’s funny to think that this five-year project only came to completion through a string of fortunate accidents entirely outside our control.

What people are saying about the film

"A profound, gripping adventure - a dramatic story about the things that matter most in life."

Oliver Steeds, Explorer & Investigative Journalist

 

"Tremendously moving, engaging, honest, and wonderful!!"

Roz Savage, Ocean Rower & National Geographic Adventurer Of The Year 2010

 

"So engrossed I almost missed my stop!"

Shane Winser, Expedition & Fieldwork Adviser, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

 

Thanks to Tom Allen for the photos and information © Tom Allen

 

Tickets can be ordered at www.janapar.ticketsource.co.uk . For further information contact Chris: saddleworthdiscoverywalks@gmail.com

A report from the Saddleworth Owl's

Nine Owls took flight tonight on what was a very pleasant and warm evening. Setting out from the Castleshaw Outdoor Education Centre we made our way along a narrow, sunken track which, after the recent d...eluge of rain, was more like a stream than a footpath. This ancient highway is aptly called, Waters Lane.

Upon reaching Huddersfield Road, we turned left and passed the Saddleworth Hotel on route to Bleak Hey Nook, where we had to stop and remove some layers as we began to feel the effects of such a warm, still night. Following the Standedge Trail we climbed onto Millstone Edge, via Rock Farm B & B. As we attained the trig point a wonderful vista unfolded, and to the East a large orange moon hung high in the clear sky above the twinkling lights of Huddersfield.

Moving on, we skipped from rock to rock as we traversed the gritstone edge. Our head-torches penetrating the darkness and illuminating the way, as a welcome breeze drifted up from the Castleshaw Valley, below.

Following the Oldham Way we crossed Castleshaw Moor, Hind Hill and then the upper slopes of Dowry Castle Hill. With our feet now truly wet and with legs caked in ivory black peat we found firmer ground as we headed along Moor Lane to the four lane ends junction, beyond Broadhead Noddle. Turning south-east we made for lower ground along Low Gate Lane and once again soon felt the effects of the balmy night as we left the cooling breeze upon the higher slopes of the valley rim.

Crossing the dam wall, between the upper and lower reservoirs, the Harvest Moon sat proudly just above the dark skyline of Millstone Edge, casting its bright lunar rays across the still waters of the upper reservoir. Content with the evenings run we skirted below the ancient Roman Fort, along Dirty Lane, to return to our cars for the short drive back to the nest, for a couple of pints with the rest of the club.

 

The M62 Pennine Way Footbridge

The Pennine Way, which was officially opened in 1965, is intersected by one of Britain’s busiest motorways, close to Rishworth Moor.

The Pennine Way footbridge, which spans the M62 is an instantly recognisable landmark for both commuters and walkers alike. This narrow bridge has a span of 320ft and carries Britain’s first long-distance footpath 65ft above the carriageway.

During the design stages for the building of the M62 the Pennine Way had not yet being granted Public Right of Way status and therefore no plans had been considered to erect a footbridge, to allow safe passage across the future trans-Pennine motorway. The original intention was that Pennine Wayfarers would have to follow the A672 underneath the motorway and re-join the footpath further north. However it is said that Ernest Marples, a former Manchester Rambling Club member, and owner of Marples/Ridgeway Civil Engineering Contractors, played an instrumental part in ensuring that the pedestrian bridge was built.

Apparently the original design for the bridge was to span the motorway horizontally. However, some sources say that the Transport Minister, who was in office at the time, was a prolific walker and insisted that a more impressive structure be built. This decision is said to have considerably increased the construction costs. Whatever the original design, the final structure consists of a reinforced concrete three pin arch which has a span of 220ft, complete with side cantilevers. Each cantilever supports pre-stressed concrete approach spans each of which are 85ft long.

Since its original construction this now iconic landmark has provided safe passage, above the swarming traffic, for thousands upon thousands of walkers making their 270 mile pilgrimage along Britain’s best known National Trail.

 

Thanks to Ray Green, who's photo inspired this short article. You can see many more of Ray's fabulous photos at www.raygreenphotography.co.uk