The isolated cinema on a Swedish island

Taking social distancing to a whole new level, Sweden's  Göteborg Film Festival  is inviting one cinema fan to spend seven days on an isolated lighthouse island, with only movies and the sea for company.

Like many recent film festivals, Göteborg festival  will go digital in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but organizers decided to offer one festival goer a totally different experience, dubbed The Isolated Cinema.

The chosen fan will be transported by boat to the Swedish island of Pater Noster -- which Göteborg Film Festival artistic director Jonas Holmberg calls "one of the most beautiful and dramatic places I know."

Once there, they will be set up in the former lighthouse keeper's house and spend a week from January 30 to February 6 watching Göteborg's offerings. They won't be allowed a cellphone, a laptop, a book or any other distractions.

Artistic director Jonas Holmberg says the inspiration for the idea was how people have turned to films for comfort during the pandemic.

"We are interested in how the audience's relationship to films changes under those circumstances, and wanted to explore this relationship by taking it to the extreme -- isolating one person on a small rock in the sea for one week with films as the only company," says Holmberg.

If you're interested, you can apply online, all you have to do is email and say who you are and why you're interested in the Isolated Cinema.

Pater Noster is the name of the cast bright red lighthouse that was built in 1868 and is a feature of the tiny island of Hamneskär.  A lighthouse keeper lived on the island in the cottage until the 1960s when the beacon was automated.

Hamneskär is situated off the coast of Marstrand in western Sweden. Apparently the name "Pater Noster" (meaning "Our Father" in Latin) came from sailors fearful of the rough seas surrounding the island, who prayed to the Lord as they sailed these waters.

The lighthouse was deactivated in recent years, and the lighthouse cabin was recently renovated by design agency Stylt, so the chosen film fan will be able to relax in comfort and style. The living room will be set up as a screening room for movie-watching, while food will be provided for self-catering.

For safety reasons, the visitor will not be totally alone.  Another person will stay on the island but they will keep their distance. If everything goes as planned, they will never meet during the seven days.

The festival is accepting applications from across the world, but naturally they  will need to take into consideration Covid-related lockdowns and travel regulations.

"Of course we have to ensure that it is safe and possible for the person to travel to the island," Holmberg says. "The rules are changing all the time, and we will adjust to the regulations that are in effect when the festival starts."

The winning applicant won't have to pay for the experience.

So how can you make your application for film-watching-lighthouse-keeper stand out?

First and foremost, says Holmberg, they're looking for a real lover of cinema. Göteborg is the biggest film festival in Scandinavia. Alongside new films, the festival also showcases seminars and exhibitions.

The chosen applicant must also to be up for the challenge. It also has to be someone quite stable, who is not troubled by the idea of spending one week in total solitude," says Holmberg.

A handful of applicants will be interviewed before the final selection takes place. The festival organizers will ask the chosen film fan to record daily video diaries about their experiences while on the island.

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Article from CNN (edited)

Virtual reality training (video)

 

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Jet ski Romeo

On Thursday, Dale Mclaughlan bought a Jet Ski for 6,000 pounds.

On Monday, the 28-year-old Scotsman was sentenced to four weeks in jail.

What happened on the three days in between, according to court documents, may be one of the more unusual instances of rule-flouting during the coronavirus pandemic.

The day after purchasing the watercraft, Mclaughlan set off at 8 a.m. for what he thought would be a 40-minute trip from the southwestern coast of Scotland to his girlfriend’s home on the Isle of Man, between England and Ireland. He later told authorities that he had never ridden a Jet Ski before and that bad weather on the Irish Sea caused the trip to stretch to 4 1/2 hours.

Mclaughlan finally reached Jessica Radcliffe, his girlfriend, on Friday night, after walking 15 miles from the Isle of Man’s coast to her home in its capital, Douglas. The couple spent the weekend enjoying the city’s nightlife, but their reunion was cut short, when he was arrested and later charged with one count of violating the Isle of Man’s coronavirus restrictions.

On Monday, he received a four-week jail sentence.

“This individual was aware of the law and showed a flagrant disregard when they chose to break it, mixing in the community and potentially putting lives at risk,” Howard Quayle, chief minister of the Isle of Man, said in a statement Tuesday.

The Isle of Man, which relies on Britain for defense but is self-governing, is closed to nonresidents, except for those who have special permission. Mclaughlan arrived without an entry permission and failed to declare his arrival or self-isolate.

The island, which has a population of about 85,000, has only four active coronavirus cases and has not had a locally transmitted case for more than six months.

With isolation fatigue setting in, thousands of people around the world have been caught, fined and even jailed for defying coronavirus restrictions. In a case in Italy this year, a man was fined after leaving his house to cool off after an argument with his wife, breaching the country’s curfew. In Taiwan, a man was penalized for leaving his quarantine room for eight seconds, and in Australia, a man was caught violating lockdown to get butter chicken curry.

Mclaughlan, like many who have been separated from loved ones during the pandemic, was having trouble coping with the distance. He met his girlfriend in September, when he visited the island for his job as a roofer. After returning to Scotland, he twice applied to travel to the Isle of Man to see his girlfriend, but both requests were denied, according to court documents.

As for why it took Mclaughlan more than four hours to cross a short distance, Allan Stirling, owner of a boat dealer in Linwood, Scotland, said the trip should have taken less than an hour.

“You can see the Isle of Man from the peninsula where he set off from,” Stirling said. “To cover that distance is not a big deal.”

Dale Mclaughlan told reporters: “As soon as I hit open water I thought ‘Oh my God’. It was like getting a kick in the teeth. It was terrible. It wasn’t fun. I followed the GPS, but after half an hour a massive wave wiped it away. I didn’t have a clue where I was going”.

“After two hours I thought, ‘Where the bloody hell am I’? I couldn’t see a thing … I thought I was lost at sea. I was scared,” he said.

His gas tank warned him he was about to run out just as he saw the coast of the Isle of Man, which he recalled “like a beacon of hope.”

But he was off-target, and at least 15-miles from Jessica’s home — which he says he just walked.

“I just stuck my headphones on and off I went. I was listening to power ballads”.

Jessica Radcliffe had no idea he was making the romantic trip, and when he got to her home she “peeked her head out of the window, opened the door, jumped around my waist and gave me a big kiss. I said, ‘Hi, babe!’ I was still a bit smelly from the water,” he said.

“When I was arrested, I didn’t deny it – I was caught red-handed”.

McLaughlan was sentenced to four weeks in jail, and says he was amazed at making headlines around the world. “I was like, ‘What? I’m just a guy from Scotland!’ People are saying I’m a legend.I think I’ve lifted a lot of spirits. A lot of people say I’ve made a good end to a terrible year. That made me feel better,” he said.

“I broke the law. But I did it for love.I should never have done it. It could be called a crime of passion.”

Jessica Radcliffe told the paper that she loves her madcap Romeo.

“How could I not after what he did?” she said. “I would like to marry him, but not this year. He’s got to get over here first – legally this time!”

 

From ABS-CBS (edited)

World leaders reactions after Capitol Hill violence (video)

 

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https://www.voanews.com/episode/us-allies-express-solidarity-after-capitol-riots-rivals-taunt-washington-4541206