Isle of Wight: Gegengesellschaft Oder Festival-Ramsch?

Island railways have a particular fascination, none more so than those on the Isle of Wight. In this programme, produced from films made by railway enthusiasts who visited the island from the 1950s to the present day, we present aspects of the changing face of the island s railways over the last forty years. We begin with John Laird s 1964 films of the steam railway in all its glory with the coverage of the lines to Ventnor and Cowes. This is contrasted with the scene in the 1950s as portrayed in rare colour films made in 1953 on the soon to be closed lines from Brading to Bembridge, Sandown to Merstone and Newport and from Newport to Freshwater. The final steam sequences filmed by Geoff Todd and Derek Norman show the last years of steam operation on the island and the preparations for electrification. The Isle of Wight s new tube trains are shown at first on trial on the mainland, looking quite incongruous at locations such as Clapham Junction.

SHANKLIN TO RYDE PIER HEAD (electric) SMALLBROOK JUNCTION TO WOOTTON (steam) Filmed in 2010

"Cut Adrift" marks Anastasia Wlaschin-Wiest's directorial debut, delving into the educational challenges on England's Isle of Wight. Raised on the island, Anastasia witnessed the shortcomings of its education system, exacerbated by restructuring in 2011. Despite its proximity to the mainland, the island remains isolated, impacting young perspectives. With below-average results, school closures, and underfunding prevalent, Anastasia's documentary aims to spark discussion and drive positive change. Returning as a recent graduate, she interviews locals to understand the issues and propose solutions. "Cut Adrift" is a poignant call to action, urging for improved educational opportunities and broader horizons for the island's youth.

This retro documentary, based on the book by world-renowned paranormal expert and author Gaynor Baldwin, explores the haunted history of the Isle of Wight - said to be the most haunted place on earth. Also known as 'Ghost Island', no one really knows what lurks in the shadows. Dare to find out?

Two children on holiday go exploring, and after visiting Carisbrooke Castle are swept out to the Needles and are rescued by the lighthouse keepers.

Live at ZOZO Marine Stadium, Chiba, Japan 18 August, 2018

A journey to an island in the English Channel in pursuit of summertimes gone by.

Travelling by train along the English south coast is one of the best ways to experience and enjoy the great British countryside, combining popular resorts with beautiful scenery. Where the downs descend to the sea there are craggy headlands, sweeping bays and magnificent beaches. There is always plenty to see and the railway travels right through the heart of it all. Our journey will take us from Weymouth in Dorset, across Hampshire and then down to the Isle of Wight. We begin in the popular seaside town of Weymouth by sampling some of the many delights it has to offer. We then head to the historical town of Dorchester before turning east towards Bournemouth via Wool, Wareham Corfe Castle, Swanage and Poole. Bournemouth is the largest holiday resort on the south coast, and we take a look at some of the reasons why it reamins so popular. From Bournemouth we travel to Christchurch, Brockenhurst, Beaulieu, Lymington and across to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.

During a long, hot summer in seventies London, young neighbors Holly and Marina make a childhood pact to be friends forever. For Marina, troubled, fiercely independent, determined to try everything, Holly stays the only constant in a life of divorcing parents, experimental drugs and fashionable self-destruction. But for Holly, a friendship that has never been equal gradually starts to feel like a trap.

Haunted by memories of a patient's death, a nurse takes a job at an antiquated hospital for children. Soon she learns that the kids fear a ghost that prowls the floors and will not allow anyone to leave. Amy tries to protect them and convince the other staffers of the evil that lurks there.

On a film reel electrified by static charges, we meet five people who survived the impact of lightning.

All across the globe, Chinatowns are under threat of disappearing – and along with them, the rich history of a community who fought from the margins for a place to belong. Big Fight in Little Chinatown documents the collective fight to save Chinatowns across North America.

The oldest Quebecois Benedictine convent open its gates to a documentary filmmaker for the first time. Observed up close, life behind its walls is busier than one would expect. About twenty cloistered nuns, most of them over 70, share their daily life with diligence and humor. A contemplative portrait of a community of sisterhood and solidarity emerges, punctuated by prayer, work and games evenings.

Zoe McIntosh introduces us to Peter One, King of Caravans, and his realm, the Bignell Street Motel Caravan Park in Whanganui. Bignell Street has a reputation for being a place of last resort for the down and out, where people with nowhere else to go can always find a caravan roof for their heads. A social butterfly and a self-admitted garage sale addict, motel manager Peter says he acts as a de facto social worker to the weird and wonderful itinerant inhabitants of his trailer park, although some claim he’s just as strange and desperate as they are. - NZIFF 2013

Ich glaub, ich mach nicht mal Filme, ich glaub, ich filme nur irgendwas, um irgendwem zu beweisen, dass ich eine Person bin

A series of static shots repeated throughout the seasons slices and builds an anonymous forest with a river winding through it. Using remarkably precise sound, this film immerses us in a place with fauna that flourishes and flora that expresses itself through interactions with the elements. Eventually, a discrete human presence is felt within this natural setting, and the filmed landscapes gradually change before our eyes, alluding to a higher power that could upset the balance. With this carefully constructed, surprising and minimalist film, Robert Morin blurs boundaries and reminds us that reality is always fabricated in cinema.

The Myth of the Black Woman is a feature-length documentary that examines the imagery of black women in the media, from the 18th century black slave to Michelle Obama. It is an investigation into how stereotypes originate from slavery and still affect the lives of black women in Quebec. These stereotypes include Jezebel (the seductress, the femme fatale); Mammie (the obese woman, the asexual mother figure) and Sapphire (the angry, ambitious and arrogant black woman). This story will be told by black women on whom stereotypes have a high impact, through interviews with fascinating experts, and through archival footage from centuries past to the present.

Correspondance

Under the cover of night, skaters claim back the streets.

An intimate look inside the immigrant community in Portland, Maine, as told by Nyamuon Nguany Machar who arrived as refugee in 1995 and David Zwalita Mota who came as an asylum seeker in 2019.