Margate Film Festival goes online for 2020
David Farnor | On 24, Nov 2020
Margate Film Festival is going online for 2020, with a weekend of virtual screenings and previews.
Running from Friday 27th November to Sunday 29th November, the three-day event will feature more than 50 films, including local and international features, shorts, archive footage and live scores. Now in its 3rd year, the festival kicks off with #100years from The Cabinet of Living Cinema, presenting a collection of live score performances to silent films from across the past century. Francesca Ter-Berg will close the festival on Sunday 29th with a live performance streamed from the Tom Thumb Theatre.
The line-up also features Rose Plays Julie, starring Aidan Gillen, March For Dignity documenting the organisers of Tbilisi Pride fight for visibility in Georgia (in partnership with Margate Pride), Hurt By Paradise, partly shot in Margate following a young mother who tries to carve out a career with comically unsuccessful results, and Our Most Brilliant Friends, a documentary that observes the fragile relationships of Slow Club during their 2016 tour.
Among the short films lined up are mythical creatures, mysterious strangers and magical encounters, as well as daredevil explorers, struggling artists and ancestral powers. A family-friendly programme, Our Natural World, will also aim to inspire children ages 5 and up to ask how to save the planet’s oceans. The festival is also teaming up with DocHouse to present their lockdown-inspired short film collection.
A seaside theme returns in Coasting Along, a collection of short films that bring together characters living by the coast, who find themselves drifting through life – with films shot locally in Margate, Herne Bay and Broadstairs. Audiences will also be able to access the festival’s archive film collection, The Margate Time Warp, documenting the local area from 1925 onwards.
All of the films will be available throughout the weekend to view through Vimeo, with a link and password emailed to each person who has booked a ticket. Each film is allocated one view per ticket, and tickets are priced on a sliding scale, ranging from £3 to £7. A limited number of free film tickets are also available to those who cannot afford the lower tier price. To book tickets, click here.
Here’s the line-up:
Rose Plays Julie
Showing: 27th to 29th November
A young woman seeking her biological mother journeys into dangerous territory in this gripping psychological thriller.
Blue My Mind
Showing: 27th to 29th November
A body-horror romance in the manner of David Cronenberg, Blue My Mind is a raucous and heartbreaking look at one’s unavoidable destiny.
March For Dignity
Showing: 27th to 29th November
In the midst of geopolitical turmoil, the committed
organisers of Tbilisi Pride bravely strive to be visible in their evolving country.
Hurt By Paradise
Showing: 27th to 29th November
Motherhood, friendship and the struggles of pursuing a career collide in this charming, comedic debut feature from Greta Bellamacina, filmed in Margate.
Live: Francesca Ter-Berg | The Colour Of Pomegranates
Showing: 8pm, 29th November
A live stream recording from the Tom Thumb Theatre with Francesca Ter-Berg and friends, scoring parts of surrealist biopic, The Colour of Pomegranates.
Live: The Cabinet Of Living Cinema – #100Years Tour Launch
Showing: 8pm, 27th November
The Cabinet Of Living Cinema Present The Launch Of Their #100years Tour Celebrating A Century Of European Animation And Avant-Garde Cinema.
Dear Child
Showing: 27th to 29th November
‘DEAR CHILD’ tells the stories of teenagers caught up in drug trafficking, and their attempt to change their lives.
Our Most Brilliant Friends
Showing: 27th to 29th November
A funny, heartbreaking and intimate documentary that unflinchingly observes the fragile relationships of Slow Club during their 2016 tour.
Shorts: DocHouse Presents: Creative Responses To Covid-19
Showing: 27th to 29th November
A selection of stunning and artistic short films featuring mysterious strangers and daredevil explorers.
Shorts: Strangers In The Night
Showing: 27th to 29th November
A selection of stunning and artistic short films featuring mysterious strangers and daredevil explorers.
Shorts: #BlackLivesMatter
Showing: 27th to 29th November
An ongoing collection of short films available to watch online for free, documenting the widespread injustice against Black communities around the world.★
Shorts: Our Natural World
Showing: 27th to 29th November
A programme of short animations exploring the icy arctic to the busy beaches and deep down into the ocean – suitable for kids ages 5+.
Shorts: Of Spirit & Shadow
Showing: 27th to 29th November
A programme of short films exploring the unseen energies of our day to day world.
Shorts: Coasting Along
Showing: 27th to 29th November
These films bring together a collection of characters living by the coast who find themselves drifting through life, caught up in the tides.
Shorts: Artistic Licence
Showing: 27th to 29th November
These films explore what it means to be an artist, the freedom of self expression and the legacy of what we create.
Margate Time Warp
Showing: 27th to 29th November
Take a trip through time and experience Margate on film over the last 100 years. Suitable for all ages.