Sunderland Roker Regatta and Festival August Bank Holiday

Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America

2014

To Olmsted, a park was both a work of art and a necessity for urban life. Olmsted’s efforts to preserve nature created an “environmental ethic” decades before the environmental movement became a force in American politics. With gorgeous cinematography, and compelling commentary this film presents the biography of a man whose parks and preservation are an essential part of American life.

Enchanting Bournemouth

1961

Bournemouth offers a variety of sports, pastimes, steamer trips, and fine dining for holidaymakers, competing with cheaper foreign holidays and offering a variety of transportation options.

Pageant

2008

A portrait of five men competing in the Miss Gay America pageant.

Elegy for a Working Man

2017

A study into Town End Farm Working Men's Club in Sunderland, England. Like all working men's clubs, Town End Farm has struggled in the past decade to compete with the smoking ban, cheap supermarket alcohol and changing cultural attitudes. The film will be look at the reasons the club is in the position it's in, and how the club has shaped its member's lives.

Watch the Lights

2024

Directed by North East filmmaker Alex Ayre, this gripping behind-the-scenes journey follows NORTH Wrestling through the summer of 2023, leading up to its most ambitious event yet—Thunderstruck. Equal parts thrilling, humorous, and heartfelt, the film showcases the passion and dedication that go into staging a professional wrestling event. "Watch The Lights" has cemented itself as a standout celebration of independent wrestling and filmmaking, earning a Royal Television Society Regional Award nomination. The Film Magazine hails it as "...a must-watch documentary." For newcomers, it offers a fascinating introduction to the artistry of wrestling, while die-hard fans will gain deeper insight into the NORTH Wrestling community—both in and out of the ring.

The Creek

2018

Filmmaker Warren Harrison captures the memories and experiences of people who grew up as part of a unique community at Greatham Creek, a salt-marsh near Hartlepool in the Tees Valley. One of those who’s memories are recorded is photographer Ian Macdonald whose haunting images of the creek are used in the film along with family photographs, archive film provided by the North East Film Archive and contemporary footage.

Au parc Lafontaine

1947

This short documentary profiles the idyllic landscapes of Parc Lafontaine. Set to an original song, the film follows a mother who brings her son to the park, where he plays, swings, and watches the ducks and gondolas glide on the pond. As an adult, he wanders through the park with his sweetheart. The song closes sadly, for his sweetheart leaves him. The passing gondola seems to bear his love away forever, but the final scenes suggest a happy ending. - NFB

Bill & Daisy

2020

after mourning the passing of his late wife, Bill finds the courage to travel to New York City and reconnect with his favorite mistress.

Dulais Valley

1965

Master baker, owner of Duffryn Bakery, Onllwyn, turns his hand to film-making and captures community events in glorious colour.

Harrow Hospital Carnival

1933

Harrow’s extraordinary and opulent pageant, and seaside holidays on the south coast.

Severo

2023

Lindisfarne’s Geordie Genius: The Alan Hull Story

2021

Brit Award-winner Sam Fender goes in search of a musical hero from another era - the late, great, Alan Hull of Lindisfarne, in this one-off BBC Four documentary.

Faire le Bois

2022

From the open air theater in the Bois de Boulogne the sex workers Heden, Claudia and Samantha, tell about the woods which is their work place.

Poised

2024

A universal underdog tale with its own unique lens. Out of the ashes of loss, can one man use mixed martial arts to save young people from the toughest parts of our society? Zero opportunity, poverty and crime are common themes in the housing estates of Sunderland, North East England. A once proud region of industry, now a wasteland scattered with the relics of the past, as generations of government continue to neglect it.

Sherwood Park

2024

Reclaiming what was once stolen from him, a man journeys back to the place of his childhood nearly 80 years after his world came crashing down.