Join us for a rare screening of Geoffrey Jones’s trains-film trilogy. Alongside Norman McLaren and Len Lye, Jones was one of Britain’s great experimental film makers, with his beautifully edited, dramatically paced documentaries. His best-known films—Snow (1963), Rail (1967), and Locomotion (1975)—were made for British Transport Films.

Snow shows how the railways coped with the 1963 Big Freeze, with trains, tracks, and country railway stations buried beneath mountains of snow. The film’s momentum builds as workers clear the tracks, with editing accelerating like the trains. Snow won fourteen major awards and was nominated for an Oscar. 8min.

Elaborating on the style, abstraction, and excitement of Snow, Rail contrasts the last days of the steam engine with the emergence of diesel and electric trains. It was nominated for a BAFTA. 13min.

Locomotion illustrates the history of British railways, drawing on archival footage, art works, and artefacts, with a soundtrack scored by legendary folk-rock band Steeleye Span. It was made to mark the 150th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. 15min.

The films will be introduced by IMA Director, Robert Leonard.

Spaces limited. Booking recommended.