Dover on Film

In the last eighteen years the number of production companies that have set up camp in Dover to capture something on film must be in the hundreds.

Everything from Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), to period dramas such as The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) to Bollywood’s all singing all dancing Rustom (2016) they’ve all wanted the backdrop of our town. Not to mention the countless television and news crews that have headed to the iconic White Cliffs. One man who has been armed with his camera throughout that time is Mike McFarnell, Honorary Freeman of Dover, his ambition purely to document the annual events of our town and showcase it in the annual Dover Film. In his own words “it’s a privilege to have recorded the events of our local community for more than 18 years. Dover has a rich culture and character that shines across the community events and wonderful backdrop of this great town”.

This year like every year, Mike is showcasing the annual film at the superb silver screen community cinema. The events captured in 2019 range from the Cyclo-cross at Connaught Park, the Yacht regatta, Dover Castle’s first ever jousting tournament, the remarkable rememberance displays as well the opening of the new leisure centre, the first ever Dover Pride parade to, of course, the result of the General Election.

Mike’s annual film is not the only one to be enjoyed as students from Dover College have remade the 1969 Dover annual film which consisted of two canoers paddling down the River Stour. This film highlights the dramatic changes that have occurred on the river. As always there is a chance to slip back in time with the events of 1979 being the focus of Ray Warner’s camera. Ray founded the Dover Film Festival and documented everything he could on his camera, leaving a cinematic history of our town which is still being harvested, recycled and enjoyed to this very day.

The films will be screened from Sunday 1st March through to the 6th March at various times.

Tickets start at £2 for children, £4 for Senior Citizens and £5 for adults. Tickets are available from the Visitor Information Centre and the Silver Screen Cinema.

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