Thought provoking documentaries are among films being shown in the final few days of the Purbeck Film Festival, which has already attracted thousands of cinema lovers to the annual event.
Friday November 3 promises a feast of must see films ranging from the story of an independent London cinema, to the dramatic leaking of intelligence information.
Scala!!! Or, the Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the World’s Wildest Cinema and How It Influenced a Mixed-up Generation of Weirdos and Misfits (18) is an early preview release being shown at the Rex in Wareham, starring John Waters, Caroline Catz, Ben Wheatley and Stewart Lee, documenting a trip through 15 years (1978-1993) of the Scala cinema near King’s Cross Station in London – a time where the venue was a hub for the wilder side of cinema as it screened high art classics alongside schlocky exploitation films and would prove trailblazing for LGBQT cinema in particular.
The audience will be treated to a talk by the film’s co-directors, Jane Giles and Ali Catterall, on the making of their first documentary.
On the same evening at Corfe Village Hall an altogether different story, Reality (12A) will be shown, telling how Reality Winner was stopped outside her house in Georgia by officers investigating the mishandling of classified information.
The 25 year-old Air Force linguist and NSA contractor was accused of leaking an intelligence report to the media about Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election. With echoes of high profile cases such as Edward Snowden a decade ago, the drama is based on actual events and the dilemmas faced by whistle-blowers.
The festival ends on Saturday with a Short Film Competition, when the audience at the Mowlem in Swanage get the chance to debate what makes a good film.
A full list of films being shown this week is on the website – purbeckfilm.com
