The Films
About the Project
Ask the Trees is a collaborative filmmaking project created by filmmaker Rebecca E Marshall, (Dear Future Films). Created from phone footage shot by twenty-four new filmmakers, the films celebrate the simple act of noticing trees in Alexandra Park, Hastings — the texture of bark, the movement of leaves, the shifting light through branches.
Rooted in place, poetry, and attention, the project invites us to slow down and reconnect with the small, often overlooked details of the natural world interwoven within our daily lives.
Say Hello to the Trees
This series of film-poems celebrates eight trees growing in our local park. Each tree originates from a different part of the world — Australia, the Mediterranean, Ireland, China, Tasmania, the American Northwest, and the UK — reflecting the global roots woven into our local landscape.
A Self-Guided Walk in Alexandra Park
Ask the Trees also invites you to experience the work in situ. Take a walk through Alexandra Park and visit each tree in person. At every location, you can scan a QR code to watch its film-poem.
Standing alongside the trees, you’re invited to slow down and notice — to observe the ever-changing details that shift with the seasons, and to form your own thoughts and questions. These films were made in winter 2026 – what changes can you see?
How Were the Films Made?
Rebecca led two workshops in Alexandra Park with members of the local community, ranging in age from 7 to 70. This diverse group of first-time filmmakers used their mobile phones to film the trees, sharing their questions, reflections, and personal responses.
Tree expert Owen Johnson MBE joined the workshops, offering fascinating insights into the trees — their histories, their lives within the park, and the conditions they would experience in their countries of origin. Together, the group explored how the climate and environment of Southeast England shape each tree’s growth, considering both the challenges and advantages.
Rebecca then edited the footage into a series of collaborative film-poems, weaving together participants’ words and images. Musician Joanna Lawrence composed original soundtracks, bringing an additional layer of atmosphere and emotion to the films.
Credits
Project Devised by
Rebecca E Marshall
Commissioning Panel
Angella Rwabigwi
Ihor Buiadzhi
Bohdan Bunchu
Olena Lavrova
Mussadiq Mahmoodi
Film footage created by
Michael Garner
Rowan
Keegan Mayo
Logan Mayo
Olena Lavrova
Helena Kaliniecka
Adeline Shenton
Maria Iglesias Pelaz
Amelie Daw
Dara
Leonor Johnson
Editor
Rebecca E Marshall
Narrators
Chusan Palm: Adeline Shenton
Cider Gum Tree: Ersin Ramiz
Red Western Cedar: Iceni Garner
Jounama Gum Tree: Michael Garner
Lace Bark Pine: Olena Lavrova
Golden Irish Yew: Helen Black
Cornelian Cherry: Maria Iglesias Pelaz
Single Leaf Ash: Angella Rwabigwi
Music
Composer: Joanna Lawrence
Instruments: Alphorn bass Erhu: Martin Lawrence
Organ, piano, recorder, viola d’amore, violin, voice, other sounds: Joanna Lawrence
All at OBX
Lead Creative Producer: Katie Dale-Everett
Assistant Creative Producer: Simon Daw
Creative Lead: Gini Simpson
Digital Assistant: Alex Giles
Thanks to
Owen Johnson
Caroline Hughes – Art in the Park
The Pump House Café and Deli
Chris Wilken, tree officer at Hastings Borough Council
How Did This Project Come About?
This project was commissioned through Commoning the Programme 2, delivered by OBX, part of Hastings Commons.
Commoning the Programme 2 is all about who is not/or is rarely given the opportunity to make artistic decisions for where they live. Since October 2025, Hastings Commons has been working with a group of local refugees to connect them with local artists and support them in learning about approaches to programming artistic work. The group explored the many possibilities of cultural programming.
As part of the process, the group developed their own artist’s brief, which received responses from 16 artists. The brief asked artist to devise an artwork celebrating the idea of community and family extending beyond individual households into the wider world, and which explored one of the following themes:
- Are we all in one boat?
- We are all nature
- Finding beauty in the process
- Human connection
- Living without boundaries, Memory-making and shared experiences.
Rebecca E Marshall was selected for the commission. The cohort were particularly drawn to her proposal for its strong emphasis on community collaboration and its celebration of the natural environment, highlighting connections between Hastings and places across the world.
Thanks to Arts Council England National Lottery funding for supporting the project, and The Refugee Buddy Project for supporting recruitment of the cohort.
Find out more:
OBX
Hastings Commons
MAP
