My latest award winning documentary THE SEA HUT, is a personal, hybrid film, on my mother, her parents, and her Chinese nanny, Ama. It is based in Shanghai, China, 1935. A story of displacement, loss, love and memory. I have broken away from the conventional documentary form using high saturated colour for texture and feeling, and a lot of stock footage to tell the story, experimenting with different media. It is mournful as much as a love story; an homage to my mother and the Chinese Ama who loved her all those years ago.

Had I known back then that in November 2019 these would be the last images I would take in China I would have cried deeply? Read more at https://www.scatterflix.com China was my home for so many years. Yet, in all those years I had never taken the famous Green Train, or the Lipuche as it is called in Chinese which means peeled skin train. A train that costs a fraction of the cost compared to the bullet trains. CHINATOURS explain the History of China’s green train: Green Train Era - Before the 1990s, olive green is the standard colour of China’s passenger train, the most original “green train”. Typical train types are Type 22, Type 23 and Type 25B. Though they are known for their distinctively slow pace and lack of air conditioning, as well as their belching black smoke, they’re the main vehicle for long-distance transportation. Getting on a train is always a challenge. Most of the time, you need to climb in from the window over the crowds. The old types of green trains in China were mostly pulled by diesel locomotives and some were still by steam locomotives. Max speed of the train was between 80 to 120kph, but the average speed is around 40kph only. I took the train, I filmed, and only today found the video. It is nostalgic and sweet for me. Read my substack story for the long version, and ENJOY

My daughter Aly invited me to see Iggy. It was the first time I saw him since 1979 when I had the privilege of going on tour with his band selling T.Shirts. We went around the UK, to Italy, Germany and Spain. It was so F.....ing Great, I have never wanted to see him again. How could you recreate that moment? However, I went, and he was SO AMAZING, energy 10000%. If you have the chance, go see him. He outshines them all in pure passion and lust for life! Ma fille Aly m'a invité à voir Iggy. C'était la première fois que je le voyais depuis 1979, année où j'ai eu le privilège de partir en tournée avec son groupe pour vendre des T-shirts. Nous avons fait le tour du Royaume-Uni, de l'Italie, de l'Allemagne et de l'Espagne. C'était tellement génial que je n'ai jamais voulu le revoir. Comment recréer ce moment ? Pourtant, j'y suis allé, et il a été TELLEMENT EXCELLENT, une énergie à 10000%. Si vous en avez l'occasion, allez le voir. Il les surpasse tous en pure passion et en soif de vivre !

One Friday, I went to do a film job in Folkestone. (https://www.scatterflix.com). I took the messy old train from Tonbridge which rattled down to the Kent Coast. The day was a bursting blue hot, a stillness, a calm and as I got out the first sign I saw was: Folkstone is an art school. (Sorry about the spelling of the Video!) I leave the photos to tell the rest. Folkestone you are very, very magical! For more tips and techniques follow me @ https://www.scatterflix.com/

When playing in a Victorian cemetery, a young child, Violette, is a catalyst for discovering an otherworldly link between Philadelphia Carman, a servant who died in 1851 and her grandmother. See more on https://www.scatterflix.com/ This is a tale of the unexpected, where the veil between the worlds opens questions asked and answers need to be found ... I will finish this film by the end of 2024. #spritualism #victorians

In this video, I want to share the pure happiness a Chinese beach can offer. Huangdao Beach, located in the coastal city of Qingdao, holds a special place in my heart. This summer, after four long years away, I finally returned to my spiritual home. China's beaches are alive with animation and fun, a place where simple joys of life are on full display. Children run freely, and families gather to celebrate the sun's warmth. Every moment is filled with movement, laughter, eating, and chasing the waves. This time, my granddaughter Violette joined me, making the experience even more meaningful. The beach is alive with the joy of living, and this is why I love this place so much. It’s not just a beach; it’s a child's carousel. (see this latest substack article for more on China.) https://soapsandsagas.substack.com/p/china-going-home-to-the-childs-carousel Enjoy this preamble. And, unlike many other videos of beach walks in China, I wanted this to celebrate them, not me, the camera is not on me as a vlogger or an influencer. I influence no one, only ask you to gently respect the spaces you are in, and showcase with respect the people and space. Thank you..... Read more at https://www.scatterflix.com/ https://soapsandsagas.substack.com/p/china-going-home-to-the-childs-carousel PIXABAY LICENSE CERTIFICATE ============================================== This document confirms the download of an audio file pursuant to the Content License as defined in the Pixabay Terms of Service available at https://pixabay.com/service/terms/ Licensor's Username: https://pixabay.com/users/soundgallerydt-40595064/ Licensee: u_mmhyd4e4ol Audio File Title: Asian Chinese Cinematic Ambient Traditional Ethnic Oriental Audio File URL: https://pixabay.com/music/china-asian-chinese-cinematic-ambient-traditional-ethnic-oriental-175674/ Audio File ID: 175674 Date of download: 2024-09-02 06:33:17 UTC Pixabay, a Canva Germany GmbH brand Pappelallee 78/79 10437 Berlin Germany

Festivals: Bolivia: BlackCat Awards, International Festival. (November 2023.) It's the end of summer 2020, the year of confinement in France. After many years of absence, I return to my village, Tuchan, deep in the Cathar Country, South West France, to heal from a personal drama. The pandemic forces me to stay six months and I have a chance to film the three weeks of grape picking. A long-held dream. Everything is going well until the boss, Alain - The Peps, falls seriously ill and lives his 'dark night of the soul.' I follow his team who are friends and migrant travellers; they rally around; are committed to Alain, and want to save his harvest. An observational film with touches of poetry and humour, where the grape vines, mysterious mists, camaraderie, wildness and spontaneity entwine, capturing the slow, ancient nature of Les Corbières, and the stories of the pickers over three weeks. A documentary about unity, community, healing and grapes. C'est la fin de l'été 2020, l'année de confinement en France. Après de nombreuses années d'absence, je reviens dans mon village, Tuchan, au fin fond du Pays Cathare, dans le Sud-Ouest de la France, pour guérir d'un drame personnel. La pandémie m'oblige à rester six mois et j'ai la chance de filmer les trois semaines de vendanges. Un rêve de longue date. Tout se passe bien jusqu'à ce que le patron, Alain - Le Peps, tombe gravement malade et vive sa "nuit noire de l'âme". Je poursuis son équipe, composée d'amis et de voyageurs immigrés ; ils se rassemblent autour d'Alain, s'engagent à ses côtés et veulent sauver sa récolte. Un film d'observation avec des touches de poésie et l'humour où les vignes, les brumes mystérieuses, la camaraderie, la sauvagerie et la spontanéité s'entremêlent, capturant la nature lente et ancienne des Corbières, et les histoires des vendangeurs pendant trois semaines. (This film is bilingual - French and English) Find more information here @ https://filmfreeway.com/projects/2571503 https://www.scatterflix.com

An Extract from Up & Down the City Road, an animated tribute to the Boulevard St.Laurent, Montreal, Canada. This is an ode and a street poem to Stanley Lewis and to friendship, and to his beloved changed street, the Main. Find out more @ https://www.stanleylewismontrealsculptor.com For workshops on DIY documentary Film visit my website @ https://www.scatterflix.com/ "An animated documentary assembled in a rough-hewn manner, it's formally odd but sentimentally evocative." MALCOLM FRASER Mirror 2008