AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY SHORT
In 1978, The New York Times transitioned from typesetting and classical printing to computerized layout, marking the end of letterpress and printing as a profession. Just under fifty years later, however, printing presses are still operable and used to create. As you watch the classical printing process from a pastoral New England print shop in this media archeological short, hear from an older gentleman who experienced the end of the industry and was instrumental in the preservation of the equipment, process, and the medium itself, as well as a younger woman who found printing in the modern age and continues to keep the form alive.
Airing and Streaming on NHPBS on Jan. 8
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Airing and Streaming on NHPBS on Jan. 8 〰️
Neo-Typesetters is the winner of the Best Short Documentary (Jury Award) at the New York Documentary Film Festival and an official selection of the Indy Film Festival, The Columbus International Film Festival & Animation Festival, the Maine International Film Festival, the Aster Film Festival, the Binghamton Student Expieremental Film Festival, and New Filmmakers New York. The film will air on New Hampshire PBS on January 8, 2026 and become available to stream on PBS the same day.
The film was produced from October 2023 to May 2024 in Hamilton, New York, Nobleboro, Maine, and Darien, Connecticut. It was shot entirely on a LUMIX S5IIx. Kieran Sheikh Blunnie conceptualized, wrote, directed, shot, and edited the film in its entirety.
From 2021 to 2024, Kieran was an Expedition and Program Lead and served as the steward of the Kieve-Wavus Education Inc. Print Shop. The same shop where he learned about printing, practiced the process, and taught countless students letterpress—passing the art form to another group of aspiring printers as the previous steward had done for him. While this film attempts to document and preserve the process and that specific space, with a total budget of $197.73, in reality, this is Blunnie’s love letter to an art form he dedicated a decade of his life to.
