Meet The Birdmen
Modern-day Da Vincis, a life-long hang gliding rivalry and the smashing of a world record all feature in a new documentary by Sussex filmmakers.
Each year huge crowds flock to see amateur aviators launch themselves from a high platform at the end of the pier in Worthing’s International Birdman competition. Many of the participants spend hundreds of hours obsessively preparing for the event, which is the oldest of its kind in the world.
Meet The Birdmen will premiere at Worthing’s Connaught Studio Cinema event on Saturday 12 July – after the first day’s flying at 2014 Worthing International Birdman competition.
Whether aboard a unique craft of their own design, piloting a modified hang glider or making a leap of faith in fancy dress and dancing shoes, there is one aim: to travel as far as possible before plunging into the sea. The 100m jackpot prize of £10,000 is a tantalising goal. Meet The Birdmen focusses on a handful of these eccentric sportsmen and their dreams of airborne glory.
Hang gliding fanatic Ron Freeman has been obsessed with flying since he was a boy. Heloves to win almost as much as he loves the adrenaline buzz of flight. Tony Hughes has been a rival of Ron’s since their days in the British Olympic hang gliding team. Similarly evangelical about the experience of unpowered flight, Tony is cool, confident and determined to fly further than Ron. But it is not for nothing that Ron is known as ‘The Birdman’ across the South Coast – he is the reigning champion of the Worthing event and has won numerous Birdman competitions, Bognor to Eastbourne. “You can’t describe the feeling when you’re in the air.” says Tony. “It is such a high: It’s better than drugs.”
As the film builds to a climactic finale, the record books take a battering as Ron and Tony push themselves to the limit, employing risky tactics in high winds as they struggle to outdo each other.
Just a short leap from the event, the film starts at 4pm and offers a glimpse into the world of the spirited individuals who take part in the famous competition. The screening will be attended by the daredevil Birdmen who appear in the film, and tickets are available to the public for £4, with all proceeds going to the World Cancer Research Fund. Tickets can be purchased in advance from MeetTheBirdmen.com, or from the cinema from 3.30pm on Sat 12 July. Watch the trailer.
