sunday 9 june
THE CITY THAT WALKS ON WATER
12.00 PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE BALLROOM : TICKETS £7.00
This theatrical production was filmed on Southend Pier in September 2023. Funded by the Heritage Lottery and featuring local actors, it presents a series of fascinating historical stories, based on real-life events in the history of our town from the founding of the pier in the 1820s to its present day city status.
HIGHWAY PICK-UP
France: 1h 47m : 1963 : Subtitles : Certificate '15'
Directed by Julien Duvivier
12.00 PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE ROYAL VIEW SUITE : TICKETS £7.00
Safecracker Daniel escapes from a prison train and heads to an remote mountain town. Taking on a
new identity, he moves in with garage owner Thomas and his much younger wife Maria. It’s not hard to see where this is going, especially as it’s based on a novel by crime specialist James Hadley
Chase, with a dash of James M. Cain added in! Finding out Daniel’s true identity, Maria does, indeed, concoct a plan, aiming to lure him back to his former life of crime – and worse!
So how will Daniel react to this temptation – and what will happen when his former partner in crime turns up, seeking his share of the loot...?
RARE TREASURES FROM THE WHITE BUS FILM ARCHIVE
Presented by Chris Izod
2.30PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE BALLROOM : TICKETS £7.00
The White Bus Film Archive is home to some 3,000 reels of 16mm film. As regulars at our Wednesday screenings will know, alongside our collection of feature films there are documentaries, shorts, cartoons and other films from all ages and all genres. In the third of his presentations, local historian Chris Izod will introduce a selection of the most tantalising, remarkable and unusual films, all on 16mm. Festival Director Paul Cotgrove will join him for a chat about their careers in the cinema and film business as they watch the films. Be prepared to be thoroughly entertained!
NEXT DOOR (NEBENAN)
Germany : 1h 32m : 2020 : Subtitles : Certificate '12'
Directed by Daniel Brühl
2.30PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE ROYAL VIEW SUITE : TICKETS £7.00
Movie star Daniel is accustomed to success. His loft apartment is stylish, as his is wife, and the nanny has the children under control. Everything is tip-top, and he is about to jet off to London to audition for an American superhero film. But then, popping into a local bar, he meets Bruno. One of the victims of the East/West reunification, and now of the gentrification of what was once East Berlin, Bruno focusses in on Daniel, who he seems to know rather too well. Real-life movie star Daniel Brühl, who plays the put-upon ‘hero’, made his directorial debut with this intriguing drama, at times funny, sad – and not a little tense.
Kindly sponsored by Pier View Self Catering Apartments
THE WORLDS OF GERRY AND SYLVIA ANDERSON
Presented by Mark Joseph
5.00PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE BALLROOM : TICKETS £7.00
Super-fan Mark Joseph is back with another exciting show headlined by one complete story from Dick Spanner, P. I., and the first part of an unfinished story with narration by Shane Rimmer. In attendance will be special guest Terry Adlam, who created this series which mercilessly parodied Raymond Chandler-like detective stories. The show will also include episodes from iconic TV series’ Stingray (Eastern Eclipse, on 16mm, plus a 60th anniversary tribute) and Thunderbirds (ultra-rare Japanese home movie version of Trapped in the Sky).
Sponsored by
DIRTY DUTCH
UK : 1h 11m : 2023 : Certificate '15'
Directed by Matt Dixon
4.30PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE ROYAL VIEW SUITE : TICKETS £7.00
With its tagline ‘A Disaster in the Making’ proving to be most appropriate, this wacky, hilarious ‘mockumentary’ follows filmmaker George Parker’s wild quest to create his very own cinematic masterpiece, based on those high octane action pictures from the 80s. Of course, anything can go wrong on a film shoot – but this takes ‘mishaps’ to a whole new level of absurdity. However, George is nothing if not persistent, and never has that old showbiz adage, ‘the show must go on’ been so apt!
Great fun, with the makers behind our Opening Gala presentation sending themselves up something rotten!!
SNOOKER MAN
UK : 1h 21m : 2024 : Certificate '15'
Directed by Sam Casserly
6.00PM : PARK INN BY RADISSON PALACE ROYAL VIEW SUITE : TICKETS £7.00
Johnny ‘Snooker Man’ Bonnar is the UK's 17th rated Ronnie O’Sullivan lookalike, working for the lowest-rated lookalike agency in the country. However, his passion lies beyond mimicry, leading him into the real-life world of competitive miniature snooker, where he attempts to become the world champion, in this comedy 'mockumentary' which profiles a man who just wants to succeed.
