Launch event for our new 'Swimming' series!
The Ponds
An homage to the joys of Hampstead Heath swimming ponds captured on film over the four seasons. A must-see for all outdoor swimmers!
Director: Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith
Join us for our new Swimming series of screenings!
76 mins / 2018 / UK
In a world of constant flux and chaos its almost a shock to discover some experiences remain unchanged, natural, primitive even. In the middle of London lies Hampstead Heath, 320 hectares of forest, parkland and wildlife, plus three swimming ponds. People take the waters in them all year round, just as they did in the times of Keats and Constable. Capturing all the beauty of English seasons, Patrick McKellan and Samuel Smith filmed the swimmers over 12 months as they shivered, laughed, complained, ruminated, philosophized or simply sought respite from all that life threw at them.
The Ponds is a heartwarming celebration of eccentricity and sheer bloody-mindedness as these unusual people, united by a shared passion for wild swimming, meet to take on whatever the weather, whatever life throws at them.
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Thank you.
