saturday 28th may
CONVERSATIONS IN LOCKDOWN
UK : 50mins : 2021 :
Directed by Elyza Mells
11:00 AM: PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE BALLROOM: TICKETS £7.00
A documentary interviewing 7 people I know and love - capturing their thoughts and feelings to being in the first UK Lockdown.
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+ MEMORIES OF LOVE
2022 : 10mins : Directed by Rapahel Bijaoui
To follow
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+ MOSAIC
2022 : 8mins : Directed by Flo Clarke
Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I have ever known.'
Artists, writers, Viking re-enactors. Every cafe has a story, unique, strange, and wonderfully beautiful. This film, written in verse, celebrates the weird and wonderful characters you find in coffee shops up and down the country. The barista walks us through the cafe, telling us about this chosen family.
+ LETHAL
2022 : 7mins : Directed by Scarlett Worthington
'Lethal' is a short film focusing on the aftermath of a young girl, Lee, after she has been spiked at a bar. In the short film, we see the effects on Lee's daily life as well as an insight into the mind of a victim. Is this something she will ever be able to overcome?
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+ DISASSOCIATE
2022 : 7mins : Directed by Isadora Baccon
Disassociate is a movement based abstract film about the daily fixations we have with technology. When a woman breaks her phone she snaps out of the trance she was in, allowing herself to notice the world around her for the first time. Initially she struggles to free herself from her desires to go back to technology, this is when she meets another person, who like her, was disassociated from the outside world. Together they go on a journey trying to free themselves from the embedded attachment to technology, which for a long time has hidden the real person that exists inside them.
NEW MATERIAL
South Africa : 97mins : 2020 : Certificate '12'
Directed by Craig Freimond
11.00AM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE ROYAL VIEW SUITE : TICKETS £7.00
Cassim Caif (Riaad Moosa) is a young Muslim man living in Fordsburg, Johannesburg. He is balancing the demands of a new marriage, a young child, and living in a house with his aging parents, with being one of South Africa’s few Muslim stand-up comedians. His father Ebrahim (Vincent Ibrahim) has reluctantly accepted his son’s chosen career for now, but it is still a simmering issue.
Introduced by guests from Art of the Village.
+ SPOT THE INDIFFERENCE
UK : 6mins : Directed by Paul Rodriguez
Lilly is having trouble communicating with her distracted boyfriend so she finds a way to get his attention.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: SOUTHEND'S PIER
1.30PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE BALLROOM : TICKETS £7.00
We are delighted that Chris Taylor and Richard Brown, from the Pier Museum, will be joining us to present archive footage profiling our world-famous pier. They will also include A Long Story, a brand new documentary charting the history of our most celebrated landmark.
HOW ABOUT ADOLF?
Germany : 86mins : 2018 : Subtitles : Certificate '15'
Directed by Sonke Wortmann
1.30PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE ROYAL VIEW SUITE : TICKETS £7.00
In this biting, but hilariously funny, satire Stephan and his wife Elisabeth invite family friends around for a cosy get-together over dinner. But the evening takes a turn for the worst when prospective parents announce they want to name their baby son Adolf!
Sponsored by Pier View Self-Catering Luxury Apartments
+ MIRACLE
15mins : Directed by Paul Rodriguez
Peter has lost faith in himself and his religion. Whilst mourning the death of his dog, he meets Angie, a homeless drug user, in a park. His gesture of goodwill to make her life better takes them both on an unexpected path
BY THE DOME IT'S KNOWN: THE KURSAAL STORY
4.00PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE BALLROOM : TICKETS £7.00
Introduced by Chris Izod. Using archive film and photographs a look back at the history of the world famous Kursaal on Southend seafront. Featuring archive recordings and the personal recollections of trippers who visited the 26 acre park and the Kursaal workers who task it was to keep the amusements running smoothly throughout the busy summer seasons. Recalling the arrival of Eric the Whale, Al Capones famous Killer car, the world renowned Tornado Smith and his Wall of Death and of course the fabulous Kursaal Ballroom.
Sponsored by Genting Casino Westcliff
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CAFE MIRAGE
UK : 78mins : 2020 : part subtitled : Certificate '15'
Directed by Neilson Black
4.00PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE ROYAL VIEW SUITE : TICKETS £7.00
Julian has never really felt his “place” because of his mixed heritage. As a boy, Julian’s father suffered racism since moving them to England. When Julian becomes a man he decides to move to Paris to start a new life as Parisian. When he arrives in Paris he finds work in a cafe, but is harshly treated as an outsider, the foreigner. At the same time a political movement in Paris forms to extradite foreigners. So Julian takes it upon himself to start a support group for people of his kind to fight for their right to stay in the great city of Paris.
+ ZAARA
35mins : Directed by Hassan Raza
Zaara is a young filmmaker with a lot of debt and nothing but holes in her pockets. One early morning, she leaves her house to shoot the final scene in her film. However, as she is busy filming, two unscrupulous bailiffs pay her family a visit
HOW TO SURVIVE THE END OF THE WORLD
UK : 104mins : 2021 : Certificate '12'
Directed by James Wilsher
6.30PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE BALLROOM : TICKETS £7.00
A couple going through a break up have to further contend with a world ending event. The two deal with the double trauma of their broken relationship along with surviving the apocalypse as they traverse the desperate British landscape.
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+ THE MAZED WORLD
UK : 3MINS : Directed by Dan Keeble
Ahead of his time, the words and imagery of William Shakespeare vividly evoke the destruction and chaos that humans are wreaking on our exquisite planet and its fragile climate.
FIXED
UK : 81mins : 2022 : Certificate '15'
Directed by Jez Alsop
6.30PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE ROYAL VIEW SUITE : TICKETS £7.00
On the night low-level gambler, Daz Clemance is leaving Birmingham to start a crime-free life with his girlfriend in Spain, he‘s accused of fixing a bareknuckle fight in a warehouse. He is beaten, stabbed and locked in a cupboard to await certain death at the hands of the gangster he supposedly swindled money from. He fixed the fight; will he be able to escape the room and fix his life?
We are delighted that members of the cast and crew will be attending this performance.
+ PORTRAIT
Directed by Keir Siewert
Based on real accounts, a model takes matters into her own hands to expose a serial predator in the photography world. Rhetta, an industrious model, sets up a shoot with a predatory photographer, notorious for his coercion tactics and aggressive actions. However, little does he realise that Rhetta has orchestrated this meeting as a sting to expose his inappropriate behaviour on an online video live stream.
MADE IN SOUTHEND
UK: Certificate '15'
9.00PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE BALLROOM : TICKETS £7.00
What talent we have! A whopping twelve locally made short films for you to enjoy.
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Dead of Night : Directed by Marc De Groot
A twisted tale of a late-night liaison between an assassin and a seemingly willing victim.
Paradise : Directed by Sharon Williams
A story from N-act, about two young girls who become the unlikeliest of friends at the unlikeliest of times. Growing up in the '70s, and not from the UK, had its problems. But a seemingly small incident witnessed by Jena, set her off on a path that would make a big difference to many people.
Achilles : Directed by Adam Morris
Even the legendary Achilles has moments of self-doubt. Achilles looks to explore the Achilles syndrome, known as the fear of failure.
Teething Problems : Directed by Kristian Fitsall
Tired of her housemate stealing her toiletries, Darcy takes a twisted revenge in this darkly comic parody of a 'How To' video.
Belly of Pork : Directed by Marc De Groot
Belly of Pork is a sharp-edged Short
about a man who owes money and has to deal
with its consequences in the midst of a nice
Sunday dinner. Violent, funny and verbally
explosive, Belly Of Pork shines a unique light
on the paradox of debt.
Our Wellbeing and the River : Directed by Adam Rees
This film explores the relationship between the mental health and sense of wellbeing of four people who live by the Thames Estuary.
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Via [Dolo] : Directed by Dan Keeble
A young woman embarks on a traumatic journey as she overcomes an invisible force.
Feet of Clay : Directed by Steve McCartney
Feet of Clay, tells the cautionary tale of a once successful rock star, idolised by his fans who has fallen on hard times and forsaken his friends and family. Drugs and alcohol has taken its toll on him and alone in his flat, he learns that his past selfish behaviour has its consequences.
Are You There? : Directed by Marc De Groot
The second short film by
writer/director team, Chris Powell and Marc de
Groot as they shine a darkly comical light on
adultery and its consequences.
The story is a cautionary tale about a narcissistic two-timer who literally gets caught with his pants down by an online femme-fatale.
Shot in just one day in the midst of Lockdown
under strict Covid rules, 'Are you There?" is a
strikingly original insight into relationships and
how they can go wrong.
My Invisible Friend: Directed by Dave Gardner
A lightly comedic mockumentary about two best friends that live together, it’s just that one of them happens to be see-through. The film deals with loneliness, grief, and how to live with someone who forgets to flush the toilet.
You Know Me : Directed by Darren Kent
That first Lockdown was tough even just the basics of a new, simpler routine, made it hard to cope and it was difficult to remember what normal life was once like...However, trying to get someone to remember their own life, instead of yours, is much more isolating!
SWAT : Directed by Sam Coombes
A slapstick farce made with expert creativity and narrative flow. SWAT is the unfortunate story of Jim, who's desperate attempts to rid his house from an unwanted fly ends in catastrophe.
+ FADE
Director Neilson Black
Paul and Deloris are an unhappy married couple that have lost all communication with each other. Everyday is the same mundane routine. Paul feels even more trapped because an unborn baby is on the way. He wonders if a baby can save their marriage. But how did this baby come about? Who is keeping secrets from who?
A PRIVATE WAR
UK/USA : 110mins : 2018 : Certificate '15'
Directed by Matthew Heineman
9.00PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE ROYAL VIEW SUITE : TICKETS £7.00
Rosamund Pike is outstanding as courageous journalist Marie Colvin, who visited the most dangerous countries, documenting their civil wars. After losing an eye in a clash between Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan Army, she travels to Syria and the city of Homs, caught in the crossfire in the country’s civil war, and broadcasts news of the appalling civilian casualties.
Sponsored by Pier View Self-Catering Luxury Apartments
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