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PURSUITS OF HAPPINESS

The Ponds

Presented in partnership with Ernest Journal

+ Short Film Screening
+ Post-Screening Discussion WITH PIONEER OF WILD SWIMMING, KARI FURRE

Dir. Patrick McLennan
76 mins | 2019 |UK

SHOWING TIMES:

• Tue 9 Jul: 7.30pm + POST-SCREENING DISCUSSION

The first 35 people to book for this event will be awarded a free edition of Ernest Journal. Ernest is a journal for enquiring minds. It’s made for those who value surprising and meandering journeys, fuelled by curiosity rather than adrenaline, and guided by chance encounters. It is a repository for wild ideas, curious artefacts and genuine oddities, replete with tales of pioneers, invention and human obsession. 

Ernest is founded on the principles of slow journalism. We value honesty, integrity and down-to-earth storytelling – and a good, long read now and then. 

http://www.ernestjournal.co.uk/ernest 

A year spent with the swimmers at London’s unique swimming ponds.

In a world of constant flux and chaos, it’s almost a shock to discover some experiences remain natural, unhurried and unchanged. In the middle of metropolitan London lies Hampstead Heath, 320 hectares of forest, parkland, wildlife plus three swimming ponds.

People swim in them all year round, whatever the weather, just as they did in the time of Keats and Constable, and our cameras filmed them over 12 months as they swam, laughed, sang, complained, ruminated, philosophised and simply sought respite from all that life threw at them.

Chasing The Sublime

Dir. Amanda Bluglass, 7 mins, 2018, UK

Chasing the Sublime is a mesmeric look at why adventurers adventure, and swimmers swim. Shot in Loch Hourn, Scotland, in 2018, the film documents the swimming adventures of Kate Rew and Kari Furre of the Outdoor Swimming Society.

Why do we put ourselves into the path of discomfort and risk? What drives us to get too cold and too tired, to battle with fear, in the name of adventure?

Waterlog

Dir. Ben Cox, 9 mins, 2018, UK

When anxiety took hold of his life, Joe found wild swimming provided the perfect antidote. He set out to retrace the route of environmentalist Roger Deakin’s nature writing classic, Waterlog. Joe embarked on his own swimming journey across the UK, capturing his experiences in his own book, Floating. 

This documentary captures some of this journey and how Joe eventually found relief, not just in the cold water he swam in, but by being open and honest about his own mental health.

Followed by a conversation with Kari Furre, a pioneer of wild swimming.

PART OF OUR PURSUITS OF HAPPINESS FILM SEASON

A season of documentaries, features, shorts and talks which explore the fine line between hobby and obsession. 

This season is supported by the following:

VENUE: EXETER PHOENIX, STUDIO 74