Best Of E.O.F.T. No. 8

The best films of the European Outdoor Film Tour 11/12.

Mel Giedroyc & Martin Clunes Explore Britain by the Book

Much-loved actress, comedian and writer Mel Giedroyc heads to Dorset on a travel adventure with a twist. Inspired by her passion for books, Mel hooks up with her friend and Dorset local, Martin Clunes, to explore the spectacular scenery and iconic locations made famous by some of Britain's favourite books and films.

Blood Road

Blood Road follows the journey of ultra-endurance mountain bike athlete Rebecca Rusch and her Vietnamese riding partner, Huyen Nguyen, as they pedal 1,200 miles along the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail through the dense jungles of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Their goal: to reach the site where Rebecca’s father, a U.S. Air Force pilot, was shot down in Laos more than 40 years earlier.

Won't Back Down

From his humble beginnings in his hometown of Sheffield, England, Steve Peat has established himself as one of the worlds most iconic cyclists. Peaty has been competing at the top level in his chosen sport of downhill mountain bike racing for the past 23 years, longer than the lifetime of many of his current competitors. Through 20 years of archival footage and photos and intimate interviews with Steve, his family, close friends and competitors, Won’t Back Down takes viewers on a captivating tour of the history of the sport of downhill mountain bike racing and offers a never-before-seen view into the life and legacy of this enduring icon.

A Year Of British Murder

Between January 1st and 31 December 2017, 768 people died as a result of murder or manslaughter in Britain - approximately 14 people a week. This powerful and original film tells the stories of some of those cases, exploring the human cost of murder - the ordinary people whose lives are changed forever and the communities left to wrestle with the consequences. Filmed over 12 months, it follows families and friends from the immediate aftermath of the crime, through the court process, and as they try to rebuild their lives. These stories are shown alongside statistical analysis of homicide figures for Britain since the Millennium, which reveal that so far this century, the pattern of homicides has remained strikingly similar in terms of the profiles of victims and the circumstances of the killing. This urgent, unflinching and intimate film goes beyond individual incidents to ask what the patterns of murder in our time say about the state of Britain.

Velorama

Documentary looking at a century of cycling. Commissioned to mark the arrival of the 2014 Tour de France in Yorkshire, the film makes full use of stunning British Film Institute footage to transport the audience on a journey from the invention of the modern bike, through the rise of recreational cycling, to gruelling competitive races. Award-winning director Daisy Asquith artfully combines the richly-diverse archive with a hypnotic soundtrack from cult composer Bill Nelson in a joyful, absorbing watch for both cycling and archive fans.

Life Cycles

Life Cycles tells a spectacular story of the bike, from its creation to its eventual demise. A visually stunning journey, with thought provoking narration, Life Cycles uses Ultra HD to document the many stories surrounding the mountain bike and its culture. Ride along into breath taking natural settings, as we battle the elements, showcase the progression of riding, take a road trip, fix the bike, and show the destruction and eventual creation of trails. Semenuk, Hopkins, Schwartz, McIntosh, McCaul Agassiz, Hunter and Vanderham guide you through this wonderful story. Life Cycles is a celebration of the bicycle, and is sure to entertain anyone who has ever ridden one.

Cycle of Memory

Mel Schwartz escaped the Great Depression on a bicycle adventure he'd remember for the rest of his life... until Mel lost his memory to Alzheimer's. Now over seventy-five years later, his grandchildren set out to recreate his life-changing journey and find those memories before they slip away. Cycle of Memory explores the importance of intergenerational connection, healing painful pasts, and leaving a meaningful time capsule for the future.

From the Inside Out

We live for the pursuit of the unknown. The anticipation of what the future holds. The untapped potential of what lies ahead. The finish line is only a starting point for a new adventure. What happens in between is where the real action is. Our mission is to document the future of mountain biking as it unfolds in real time. We capture the true lifestyle that intersects our lives as professional mountain bikers, builders and filmmakers, concocting a unique chemistry of filmic goodness. Many past films, riders, and locations have inspired us. Some of those locations are now our backyards, and some of those riders are now our friends. From the Inside Out is our adventure to the places we've always wanted to ride, and our expression of the lines and styles that have influenced us. This is freeride mountain biking. This film is from us – the riders.

Pit Dhuwur

In the heart of Yogyakarta, a tall bike enthusiast takes a stand against the city's lacklustre cycling infrastructure in the city with the "Bicycle Friendly City" label.

NARC. Mini-Doc – Outside The Mainstream: The North East’s Alternative Scene

The final episode in our Mini-Docs series comes from musician and writer Jake Anderson, who explores the niche music genres which find an increasing audience in the North East. On a mission to discover outside-the-mainstream sounds and the driving forces behind their creation, Jake chats with musicians Me Lost Me, SQUARMS and Mariam Rezaei, along with some of the major players keeping these sonically-engaging sound makers doing what they’re doing, including Simeon Soden from Kaneda Records and Lee Etherington of TUSK. This mini-documentary features reflections on some of the most unique acts in the North East, what genre boundaries actually mean and artists’ hopes for the future of the North East’s alternative scene. This is an Art Mouse film for NARC. TV, written and directed by Jake Anderson.

Spokespeople

For Los Angeles natives living in the early 1900s, bicycles and streetcars shared the road as our primary modes of transportation. But the arrival of the freeway effectively wiped them out. Today, a collective of cycling communities fight for protected bike lanes and road safety, determined to bring a new era of mobility justice to the city.

Follow Me

Deep in the coast mountains of BC, a small crew of filmmakers has spent the last eleven months huddled together, planning, scheming and brain-storming to come up with a concept for a new company and mountain bike film. The hard work has paid off and Anthill Films is stoked to announce the release of their premier film FOLLOW ME...

Speeding, of Course

70-year-old Timo makes the most of his short ride to work. Speeding up on a bicycle ends up in a ditch, but the adrenaline rush leaves a feeling of pleasure.

Bicycle

'Bicycle' is a 90 minute documentary, asking the question 'why is cycling and the bicycle back in fashion?' The film, which is directed by BAFTA winning director and keen cyclist Michael B. Clifford, tells the story of cycling in the land that invented the modern bicycle, its birth, decline and re-birth from Victorian origins to today. The film weaves bicycle design, sport and transport through the retelling of some iconic stories and features interviews with notable contributors Sir Dave Brailsford, Gary Fisher, Chris Boardman, Ned Boulting, Sir Chris Hoy, Tracy Moseley, Mike Burrows and many more, plus great archive, animation and music. 'Bicycle' is a humorous, lyrical and warm reflection on the bicycle and cycling within its place in the British national psyche.

The Family

The Family is a 1974 BBC television series made by producer Paul Watson, and directed by Franc Roddam. It is a fly-on-the-wall documentary series, seen by many as the precursor to reality television. It is similar to an American documentary which had aired the previous year, called An American Family. The series follows the Reading-based working class Wilkins family of six, headed by Margaret and Terry, through their daily lives, warts and all.

Hyde Park Bicycling Scene

Builder

Builder tells the story of trail building, through the eyes of 15 of the sport's best riders and most creative builders. From the first shaky pedal strokes of youth, to the game-changing moves of the sport's top pros, you'll see how mountain biking is shaped by shovels and chainsaws in endless pursuit of the perfect ride.

Strength in Numbers

Viewed at a distance, the world of mountain biking is a disjointed network of seemingly similar but disconnected communities. Freeride. Downhill. Big Mountain. All Mountain. Dirt Jump. Slopestyle. A sport of individuals, equally defined by their many differences, as the common threads that bind. And while our story doesn't follow a straight line, we all end up in the same place. Tire to ground, foot to pedal, hand to bar – communities drawn together by trails of dirt.

Riding on Air

This charming assessment of Britain's bicycle industry illustrates the popularity of cycling both as transport (for business or pleasure) and for sport in the 1950s. Part of BFI collection "On Yer Bike."