Jan Chappell at the ICA, London - 2 films
- 09 Sep 2024
- B7 Cast and Crew
‘The films of Jon Sanders and Anna Mottram are hidden British treasures, quiet and ethereal mood pieces that creep up on the viewer, as if written and filmed on the wind.’ – Jason Solomons
The 2 films from the season in which Jan appears are: LOW TIDE, and LATE SEPTEMBER
Low Tide - Tue 10 Sep, 6.30pm - dir. Jon Sanders, United Kingdom 2008, 85 min.
The story of the last three days of a woman's life. Kathy, who is dying of cancer, is being nursed at home. Jan plays an old friend of Kathy’s in the film.
Low Tide tells the story of the last three days of a woman's life. Kathy is dying of cancer and is being nursed at home. Her husband Tom cooks and cares for her but is unable to offer her emotional support and keeps himself apart, playing his music or drinking with a recently widowed friend. Kathy forms a strong attachment to her visiting nurse, confiding in her about her past affairs, her ambiguous feelings towards Tom and her fear of death. Her closest friend comes to visit, and a rift is healed. Memories haunt her and eventually, after a painful confrontation, she and Tom attempt to come to terms with her infidelities, their unhappy marriage and the loss of their only child.
The screening is followed by a Q&A with Jon Sanders and Anna Mottram, hosted by film critic Jason Solomons. Low Tide screening info & tickets
Late September - Sat 14 Sep, 4.15pm, dir. Jon Sanders, UK 2012, 18+, 87 min
Taking place over a 24-hour period, in a beautiful Kent house and garden, the film follows the course and aftermath of a birthday celebration organised by a middle-aged woman for her husband to whom she has been married for nearly 40 years. Jan plays Flick in this film (there’s a trailer for the film on the ICA website)
Late September takes place over a 24-hour period, in a beautiful Kent house and garden, and follows the course and aftermath of a birthday celebration organised by a middle-aged woman for her husband to whom she has been married for nearly 40 years. As the day and night progress, old rifts, new relationships, and secrets emerge amongst friends, and the underlying tensions in the marriage can no longer be contained.
‘This age group, the post war generation now approaching old age, has not received so much attention in film and the problems these friends face are specific but universal and recognisable to us all; their lives, their hopes and fears for the future are portrayed with a total lack of sentimentality but also with great warmth, humour and empathy. This film is the second project made by a core group of experienced actors and technicians who came together to make Low Tide (2007). The group has since expanded but once again, the film has been made cheaply and shot in a very short period, using long fluid takes, natural light where possible and improvised dialogue. To work this quickly one has to be very prepared. Our structure is well thought out beforehand but within that the actors, in character, determine the emotional and dramatic content of each scene as it happens. All of us have found this way of filmmaking, "without permission", to be challenging and liberating. In these difficult, locked-down times, I believe we have found one possible way (among hopefully many others!) for new work to emerge and for cinematic form to develop.’ Late September screening info & tickets
Jan Chappell with Jon Sanders, Anna Mottram, & film critic Jason Solomons taken after the Low Tide screening (PHOTO/DIANE GIES).