# animate! › Films › Winter Trees by Sarah Downes › all › synopses › direction & collaboration › full production credits › film stills › tools & processes › format & distribution › background material

Canonical: https://animate.org.uk/films/wintertrees/all

Discovery terms: 1990s animation, collage animation, live action and animation, fertility, nature, regeneration, poetry film, filmmaker

The following is the archived page text; discovery terms above are separately sourced metadata.

Archive status: restored in 2026; historical calls, deadlines and services are closed.

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**Winter Trees** a film by Sarah Downes

1993, 6 min 51 sec

![Winter Trees, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/wintertrees01.jpg)

### animate! synopsis

Sylvia Plath and the essence of the feminine. Fertility and regeneration in a dazzling multi-media landscape. Beauty with edges.

### long synopsis

Sylvia Plath’s poem **Winter Trees** is translated line by line into a personalised visual language.

The central anthropomorphism of the poem is illustrated in dense animation. A sense of unease is evoked – the spirit of rebirth is contrasted with the pervasive air of uncertainty as the tree succeeds where women sometimes fail: in the unceasing regeneration of nature.

### key credits

**director**
Sarah Downes

**narrator**
Gina McKee

**performer**
Sharon Quigley

**lighting camera**
Ken Dodds

**animator**
Sarah Downes

**music**
Louise Forshaw

### Sarah Downes

### a film by Sarah Downes

### direction

**director**
Sarah Downes

### based upon

**actual credit**
based upon

**title of original material**
Winter Trees

**author**
Sylvia Plath

**type of adapted source material**
poem

**copyright**
Winter Trees by Sylvia Plath, copyright Ted Hughes 1971

### cast in picture

**performer**
Sharon Quigley

### voice-over

**narrator**
Gina McKee

### live-action personnel

**lighting camera**
Ken Dodds

### image personnel

**animator**
Sarah Downes

### sound personnel

**music**
Louise Forshaw

**sound designer**
Lei Cox

### support

**additional financial support**
CAL

**primary funding**
Arts Council of England/Channel Four Animate! award

© Sarah Downes 1993

[![Winter Trees, still](https://animate.org.uk/stillslarge/wintertrees01.jpg)](https://animate.org.uk/stillsfull/wintertrees01.jpg)

*click on image for full size still*

### technical

#### process summary

Computer aided collage juxtaposes live action with animation to create a surreal and beautiful landscape where femininity and fertility are explored.

### master copy format

**colour or black & white**
colour

### video distribution format

**video format**
BetaSP

**screen aspect ratio**
4:3

**video standard**
PAL

**sound type**

### distributor

LUX
[info@lux.org.uk](mailto:info@lux.org.uk)
+44 (0)20 7503 3980
[www.lux.org.uk](http://www.lux.org.uk/)

**Winter Trees** film, stills and other materials © Sarah Downes 1993