Archive film recalls life in Whitley Bay and North East coast over the decades
EVER wondered what life was like along the North East coast 100, 50 or even 20 or 30 years ago? Well, now is your chance to find out. The North East Film Archive (NEFA) is about to reveal an extraordinary collection of films that span almost every decade of the last century.
They will be screened in a variety of venues up and down the coast in the coming weeks and months as part of their new Moving North: Coastal film programme.
The screenings start at the Whitley Bay Festival Playhouse for Whitley Bay Film Festival 2017, next Monday, August 28.
With films made by cine enthusiasts and local filmmakers recording the lives and landscapes of our coastal communities, and television footage of more recent years, these moving images reveal an astonishing record of the people and the places we know so well – but distant in time and tempo.
1920s filmmakers capture the quiet beauty of Lindisfarne, the Holy Island, as it welcomes barefoot pilgrims and tourists alike to the magical, spiritual home of Celtic saints.
Bright young things from the big city in baggy knitted swimsuits are fond of a trip to the sand dunes and salty air of Warkworth in the 1930s, and they take their cine cameras with them.
Heading south down the coast, an 80-year-old Cullercoats fish lass reminisces in the local dialect about her extraordinary life.
The exciting fairground attractions of Whitley Bay’s white-domed Spanish City fairground entice thrill-seeking Race Week crowds year after year, and popular comedy double act Laurel and Hardy bring their own special brand of bumbling humour to hundreds of children at a grand charity event at the Plaza Hotel, Tynemouth.
Each salty 1950s Kodachrome memory leapfrogs into the next in home movies celebrating the toe dipping delights of sea and sand on bucket-and-spade holidays on Tyneside.
Working lives on film reflect industries past and present – from the small coastal communities where fishing has been the mainstay for generations of families, to gripping Tyne Tees Television documentaries on the North Shields fleets chasing North Sea cod shoals at night.
So why not go along and take this revealing tour along a coast of contrasts, steeped in history, industry and the sweeping beauty of wild Northumbrian beaches.
Each of the events will be different, with the programmes curated to match the location of the screenings, so expect to see plenty of local footage in all of the screenings.
Screenings include: ■■Moving North Coastal: Whitley Bay, Playhouse Whitley Bay, on Monday, August 28. Doors open 5.00pm. Starts 6.00pm ■■Hector Gannet: The Old Low Light, North Shields Fish Quay, on Sunday, September 24. Performance starts 3.00pm
YFA Director Sue Howard says: “The North East Film Archive’s ‘Moving North: Coastal’ programme is all about bringing local films back to local communities, and opening up our film heritage for everyone to see and enjoy.” ■■Find out more about NEFA: www. northeastfilmarchive.com ■■To view a video preview of Moving North: Coastal, visit www.chroniclelive.co.uk