A FILM that uncovers the reality of life as a northern hill farmer has just been released in the UK (August 28).

Addicted to Sheep, an intimate portrait of the everyday life of a hill-farming family in the North Pennines, will have its London Premiere at Picturehouse Central this evening (August 28).

The feature documentary presents us with two devoted tenant farmers, Tom and Kay Hutchinson, who spend their days looking after their flock of prized Swaledale sheep, striving to breed the perfect one.

Director and Producer, Magali Pettier, herself a farmer’s daughter, follows a year in their lives, capturing both the stark, stunning beauty of the landscape, and the brutally hard graft it takes just to survive.

As the seasons change, the couple help birth, groom, nurture and sell their sheep – even when the odds often seems stacked against them.

Ms Pettier said: “Thanks to the Hutchinson family it feels like a real achievement to now be able to share the film with a wide audience, [showing] what it’s like to be a tenant farmer, especially given the current headlines about the issues farmers are facing.”

The film was nominated for the Environmental Award and had its world premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015 in June.