Wachtebeeks Retro Film Festival

Under the motto "Retro Filmfestival Wachtebeke", the De Lootse Filmclub, together with the local history circle "De Vierschaar", compiled a program that consists almost entirely of authentic archival material and historical recordings of the people of Wachtebeke. Each one made without commercial intention, but with an unmistakable love for the place where they lived. Archival material about the rich cinematic heritage of Wachtebeke that had been hidden in cellars, attics, and filing cabinets for decades. The program includes about 20 short films: rare but recognizable images shot mainly by amateur filmmakers from Wachtebeke who captured the soul of Wachtebeke on celluloid and magnetic tape. These include: the construction and opening of the Puyenbroeckdomein in Wachtebeke in 1969, the major frost damage to the houses in the Warandewijk in 1982, rural life in the smuggling village of Overslag, the fair on the Langelede, the Kamiel Saman celebration in 1984, ice skating on the Langelede in 1984, and much more. It is not just the images that count, but also the memories they trigger. The festival is therefore a unique opportunity to get to know the social life of Wachtebeke at the end of the last century. The program also includes 3 "guest reports": the impact of the early, sudden frost of 1980 on the azalea growers in greater Lochristi, the rat shoots in Zaffelare, and the finch-sitting contests in Beervelde.