Sam Hanna (born in Burnley, East Lancashire 1903) was an inventor, film maker and educator who pioneered the use of film in the classroom. Over six decades Sam produced hundreds of films that documented life and culture in East Lancashire. 2023 marks 120 years since his birth and Blaze is marking the occasion with a new youth led project inspired by Sam Hanna’s work.
Young people from three high schools in Burnley are working with Fully Formed Films to document and celebrate East Lancashire ‘s diverse contemporary culture through creation of a new digital collection of films and photographs which will be exhibited in Burnley Town Centre in 2024.
We’ve also commissioned Pendle Press to publish a new book about Sam Hanna and the Round Our Way project.
The learning from this project will be shared with Burnley’s Local Cultural Education Partnership.
The project started with a trip to Towneley Hall in Burnley to see the collection of Sam’s equipment and we’re planning to visit North West Film Archive in Manchester in early 2024.
Keep following our social media channels for the latest updates on the Round Our Way project.
Thank you to teachers at Sir John Thursby High School, Marsden Heights Community College and Blessed Trinity College for collaborating with us on this project.
This project is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund.
