About
Treefather is a film about an ancient yew tree situated in the liminal space between the edge of Sheffield and the Peak District. The Yew represents immortality and how nature finds a way to cope with man's presence.
No one is really sure how old it is and dates range from 2500 years old to 1500 years old. I was told about the tree when I was making my film Ashby's Odyssey.
Archaeologist Dr Roger Doonan pointed it out to me during my research. It was not until the Covid lockdown that I began to film it. I was born in Sheffield and my parents lived in Whirlow.
“The poetry of the earth is never dead.” John Keats
Around 2020 My mother was diagnosed with leukaemia and as I was an only child I decided to move in with her for a while to look after her.
It was during my walks that I again came across the tree and asked permission from the owners of the land it stands in if I could film it.
I filmed it twice a month for two years, through snow and sun and mist and rain. I also filmed its wider setting of the Peak District and the magnificent landscapes it holds.
It is remarkable how nature changes throughout the year and even the yew, though evergreen, changes slightly with the seasons - thinning out a little in the winter.
I wanted to keep this a local production and filmed most of it on my iPhone which is an ideal camera for this sort of film.
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I was also very lucky and discovered Ray Kohn, a brilliant local composer who wrote the score.
In loving memory of my mother 1936-2022
meet the artist
Graham Roos is a multi award winning writer and director.
He was born in Sheffield and won an Art Scholarship to Rugby School. His career has spanned the media of art, theatre, film, music, radio, opera and publishing.
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Inspired by the work and life of Jean Cocteau, Graham aims to bring the visual arts to text and create four dimensional work that touches upon all the different arts whose source is ONE.
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He believes that all art forms are essentially aspects of a unity - which is man's search for his spiritual origins - and his work reflects a life long interest in philosophy and esoterica.​ Working mainly in the visual medium of film and text, Graham's work aims to inform and enlighten but he also believes that art has a role to entertain which is often mistaken for lacking depth.
However as he came to understand when leading the MA in High Comedy at LAMDA - Comedy is a serious business that possesses subtle undertones which work on the edge of conscious understanding. He has lectured widely, particularly in the fields of creative art such as Drama, music and poetry, blending these three together in several major works.
Graham was appointed the first Creative Artist in Residence at the University of Buckingham and for many years he taught at LAMDA, inviting students into a magical of world where drama and narrative are all powerful.
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Graham divides his time between his base in London and his home in The Peak District which has provided so much inspiration for his work.
He is also an Ashby Patron at the British School Rome, a member of Equity and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
watch the cinepoem trailer
Immerse yourself in a timeless journey of spirit and nature.
Watch the trailer to discover a world where immortality intertwines with tranquility,
and the soul finds solace in the heart of creation... a 2000 year old Yew tree.
travel through the seasons
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." Sir John Lubbock
after Treefather follows The Devastation
"After death, a new life is possible. In the rot of death, is the seed of new life."
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A heart-wrenching sequel to Treefather, The Devastation is a cinematic journey following the devastating destruction of the surrounding forest near Treefather.
The film offers a stark contrast between the forest's former glory and its tragic downfall. You can watch the short sequel below or read more about it here.