Where the Sun Always Shines
2023 · 17m · UK
Directed by Rosie Baldwin
Genres: documentary
Tones: contemplative, melancholic
A poetic documentary journey through Bognor Regis, a British seaside town crowned the 'Worst Seaside Town in the UK,' exploring residents' deep love for their hometown as they face the threat of rising sea levels predicted to submerge it by 2050.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Britain's most-mocked seaside town being slowly eaten by the sea, told by the people who love it. The Faces Places comp is doing a lot, but the premise is sturdy enough on its own.
Bognor Regis as climate-change parable, voiced by residents rather than experts — Baldwin is reaching for Agnès Varda's Faces Places affection, which is exactly the right register for affectionate civic portraiture. The premise threads beautifully if the form holds.
Page is gated, can't verify the execution, but the angle — Britain's most-mocked seaside town facing literal submersion by 2050, told through residents rather than experts — is the right populist framing for a climate documentary. 17 minutes; pitched well, evidence pending.
Reviews
Baldwin guides viewers on a journey through Bognor Regis, a town infamous for being crowned the 'Worst Seaside Town in the UK' in 2022. Baldwin's 17-minute short examines both the area's history and its uncertain future and sheds light on the community's struggle against its tarnished reputation and the escalating challenges posed by global warming.
A poetic film of nostalgia, the meaning of home, and what happens when everything you know is threatened by climate disaster.
Festivals
- SXSW Film Festival 2023
- DC Environmental Film Festival 2023
- DocAviv International Documentary Film Festival 2023
- Milwaukee Film Festival 2023
- Mountainfilm Festival 2023
- British Shorts Film Festival 2023