Tonight we had a packed line-up for our 43rd show.
We started with Here’s The Thing in which Mark announced his two shows at Latitude Festival, and celebrated the launch of Film Stories Junior. We also paid tribute to two great actors who passed away: Rip Torn and Freddie Jones and showed some of their greatest work from Maidstone (1970) and The Elephant Man (1980).
This month we had a full British line-up! Our first guest was Nick Broomfield , director of the documentary Marianne and Leonard: Words of Love (2019). The documentary tells the love story of Leonard Cohen and his muse, Marianne Ihlen, from their first meeting in an artists’ community on the Greek island of Hydra until their deaths in 2016. Once part of the same artists’ community this was one of Nick’s most personal projects, Mark was moved by the film and he looks forward to Nick’s next project: a documentary on his late father’s work as a photographer. Nick is the creator behind well-know documentaries, such as the documentary on Eugene Terre’Blanche, to which we paid tribute – The Leader, The Driver and The Driver’s Wife (1991).
Our next Coming Attractions saw Shola Amoo, director of The Last Tree (2019). We were honoured that the MK3D crowd were the first to see the trailer for the film! The semi-autobiographical story tells the story of how a young boy attempts to re-discover his identity after his biological mother takes him away from his foster family in Lincolnshire to South London. Mark specifically pointed out a few of his favourite shots filmed in Lincolnshire during golden hour. Mark was convinced a filter had to be used to create the effect. Shola countered that no filter was used and it was down to sheer, pure luck that they got those shots, as they filmed on the warmest day of the year.
Our third British director was the Cornish Mark Jenkin who came to talk about his upcoming feature, Bait (2019). It tells the story of a Cornish fishing village and the tension that arises from incoming tourists. Captured on black and white 16mm film and developed by hand, it offers a grainy black and white polemic. Right from the bat Mark and Mark started discussing footwear, or rather Jenkin’s lack thereof. Mark Jenkin also let us in on the secret of how he develops his film; coffee. As his studio is in Cornwall and overlooks one of the largest English fishing fleets, he felt it would be wrong to use all the chemicals involved with developing the film as it would harm nature and the fishing industry.
To pay tribute to the lengths that Mark Jenkin went through for his creative vision, Mark Kermode gave us his Top 11 of Films That Went Through Extreme Creative Processes in List-O-Mania. 11) Lek and the Dogs (2017) – invented a new language. 10) Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988) – made entirely with barbies – and without music licenses. 9) The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) – made entirely of paper silhouette cutouts. Took 3 years to make. 8) The Street (1976) – all painted on glass. 7) Loving Vincent (2017) – a first! Made entirely of oil paintings. 6) Kubo and the Two String (2016) – on the list to represent all stop motion films. 5) A Scanner Darkly (2006) – all live-action. 4) Victoria (2015) – all in one take. 3) Way Down East (1947) – the lead actress, Lilian Gish, got frostbite on her hand and face do to a scene on a frozen lake. 2) Lady in the Lake (1947) – from the point of view of the lead character, who never see unless his in
Our final Coming Attractions was all about upcoming feature; Blinded by the Light (2019). We were joined by director Gurinder Chadha and Sarfraz Manzoor, whose memoir Greetings from Bury Park (2007) inspired the film. The films tells the story of a second generation Pakistani boy who finds a place for his own opinions and feelings through Bruce Springsteen’s music during Margaret Thatcher’s reigning days in Britain. Sarfraz’ and Gurinder’s friendship goes way back, to a time when they felt they were the only British-Asians who were Bruce Springsteen fans. When they got The Boss’ approval, the two of them jumped at the opportunity to make a story they feel needs to be told in current Brexit Britain.
In Sound and Vision we highlighted one of Gurinder’s previous films; Bend it Like Beckham (2002). We paid tribute to the penalty scene, which is accompanied by Nessun Dorma, which has been associated with football ever since the World Cup in 1990.
Nick Broomfield 
Shola Amoo 
Mark Jenkin 
Sarfraz Manzoor and Gurinder Chadha