This year, Hastings welcomed its first ever film festival, as part of the Coastal Currents festival.
Although Hastings & St Leonards is increasingly becoming a sought after film location, there has never before been a festival welcoming and promoting the work of local film makers. Funded by the Council and South East Arts, the film festival boasted some of the most unique and individual screenings you could hope to see.
St Mary-in-the-Castle was an apt place to stage the film and video festival. there were screenings in the main auditorium in the crypt and in the corridors. Virtually every nook and cranny was showing some form of visual production on one format or another from 8mm to 35mm, VHS to beta cam, from single screen to multi media with an emphasis was on fine art film.
Already successful, local film maker Nichola Bruce’s feature “I Could Read the Sky” has just opened to rave reviews in London. She unwittingly promoted Hastings & St Leonards as an inspiration in ‘Acts of memory part 1’, a digital poem based on her experience of Hastings bonfire night and Jack in the Green Festival.
Peter Collis’ ‘Monumentum’, was a narrative landscape of Rye Harbour. It is a his interpretation of the tragedy of the Mary Stanford – the ill-fortuned life boat.
Have you ever thought of making a car park the site of a film? A multi media work portrayed just this, and was staged at Hastings Museum in the Durbar Hall. the four screen installation explored the present dynamics of a famous Hastings car park - designed and built by the concrete king, Sydney Little.
Dora Dewsbery made her cinematic début with the ‘Griffins Trail’, an atmospheric film of DAB’s coastal walk.
We’ve all complained about public transport. Well, ‘Quadrille’, portrayed the harrowing nature of modern transport rubbishing, the myth of freedom of movement for legitimate and illegitimate travellers alike.
Unfortunately, the long awaited ‘Image Box 11’, which featured several films celebrating the artistic achievements of children with complex disabilities could not be shown on a projection box in the town centre because of the bad weather.
the festival was the brainchild of Hastings Borough Council's Arts Development Officer, who initiated the two month long Coastal Currents Visual Arts Festival last year. Penny believes that because modern artists now make use of so many of the digital techniques and other forms of modern technology, that a film and video element is crucial.
Councillor John Humphries, Cabinet Member responsible for Community Participation, said: “I am delighted film, video and multi-media productions have been included in this year’s Coastal Currents festival. Next year I would hope that many more local film makers will step forward and get involved, giving us the potential to extend the festival and promote Hastings & St Leonards’ media industry.”
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This page last updated: 03/01/2001