In 2012, director, Matthew Fox was granted access to the diaries – an estimated two million, handwritten words – spanning more than 40 years of Hill’s life.

This personal testimony is the inspiration behind Punk Snow, a film directed by Fox and produced by Liverpool-based Thinking Film, a social enterprise set up to inspire and educate people through the use of film and media. The project is supported with a £10,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Head of Heritage Lottery Fund North West, Sara Hilton said, “This is an unusual look at heritage, about an interesting and dynamic era. HLF are pleased to support Punk Snow in preserving the experiences and memories of this exciting time. To have these memories documented on film will ensuring that these valuable stories are not forgotten.” 

“There are scenes of bonfires on waste ground, of children swinging from ropes tied to streetlamps, of telephone boxes that give back more change than you’ve put in, of punk in full flood, of nature, and politics” said Fox, aged 43, who has directed The Postcard, Two Cameras and co-created the Outsiders Film Festival. 

Hill, aged 63, moved to Liverpool 35 years ago and went on to become a key protagonist on the city’s alternative music and arts scene. He has presented PMS on BBC Radio Merseyside since 1982, making it the longest-running alternative music show on UK local radio.

A national BBC radio contributor, Hill has also been Associate Director of the Liverpool Everyman Theatre, president of the National Association of Youth Theatres, and a lecturer at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).

Punk Snow will focus on the years 1979 to 1981, the backdrop to the iconic Mathew Street club, Eric’s, and the Liverpool punk scene. “What happened during these first two years was that I realised that I was meant to be here, in Liverpool, and that these were the toughest of times, and that only the fight would make it survivable, and that the fight would be through music and style and working together” says Hill.

Producer, Danny Kilbride, aged 25, from Liverpool who graduated in Screen Studies from John Moores University in 2009, said: “We’re not retelling the story of Eric’s; we want to explore the personal stories behind the club. It’s the people that made Eric’s and we want those people to help us tell our story.

“Roger’s diaries offer a unique account of a period of cultural change in a city well known for its individualism. We are really keen to hear from those people who experienced Eric’s to get in touch with their stories, photographs, film footage and memorabilia too.”

Anybody who would like to contribute to the film or volunteer during its production can contact punksnow@thinkingfilm.co.uk.
 
Notes to editors

For more information about Punk Snow, please contact Danny Kilbride, Creative Director at Thinking Film, at danny@thinkingfilm.co.uk or call him on 07837172908.

Lucinda Tyrrell, press office, on 020 7591 6031, email: Lucindat@hlf.org.uk.