Alstom will host the UK premiere of An Unlikely Fandom throughout this summer time’s main Railway 200 occasion.
Credit score: Alstom
Alstom, a world chief in sensible and sustainable mobility, has introduced that An Unlikely Fandom: The Influence of Thomas the Tank Engine will obtain its UK premiere throughout The Biggest Gathering, the world’s largest show of historic and trendy rolling inventory, held in Derby this summer time.
Particulars on Thomas the Tank Engine documentary
The premiere types a part of Railway 200, a year-long celebration marking the two hundredth anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825 – extensively recognised because the start of the fashionable railway.
“For many people railfans, it was watching episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine as kids that drew us into the fantastic world of trains and railways,” stated Ben Goodwin, Director of Communications UK and Eire at Alstom. “Due to this fact, it was solely becoming that we shone a highlight on Thomas and his pals at The Biggest Gathering and invite the filmmakers to premiere their improbable documentary at our historic web site.”
Directed by unbiased filmmaker Brannon Carty from Greensboro, North Carolina, An Unlikely Fandom explores the cultural legacy of Thomas the Tank Engine, the beloved kids’s character who first appeared in print in 1945. The documentary examines the present’s international attain and the devoted fanbase that has grown round it since its live-action TV debut in 1984.
Carty will journey to Derby for the screening on Saturday 2 August, joined by producers Ahmad Akfa, Joshua Hood, and Nicholas Maniscalco, together with co-producer James Garder, for a particular post-screening Q&A.
“Collaborating with Alstom for the UK premiere of An Unlikely Fandom is an unbelievable honour. Longtime followers and newcomers can lastly expertise the movie that moved audiences at our New York premiere in November 2023,” stated Carty.
He added: “At its core, this documentary tells the story of how one little blue practice connects followers throughout generations, cultures and communities. Sharing our ardour venture at such a landmark occasion looks like the proper strategy to have fun Thomas’ eightieth anniversary.”
The Biggest Gathering takes place at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane web site in Derby, Britain’s oldest remaining practice manufacturing facility, on 1–3 August 2025. The general public can be allowed entry for the primary time in practically 50 years. Over 100 examples of previous, current and future rolling inventory can be on show, with further sights together with avenue meals, fairground rides, narrow-gauge practice rides, and dwell music.
The occasion will even function the Mobility Theatre, a 250-seat auditorium created inside one of many manufacturing facility’s giant paint cubicles. This house will host trade talks, panels, and the UK screening of An Unlikely Fandom at 17.00 on Saturday 2 August, after the principle exhibition closes.
Tickets to the movie screening can be found completely to current The Biggest Gathering ticketholders attending on Saturday 2 August. Priced at £10 (plus reserving charges), they’re obtainable through the official occasion web site and See Tickets.
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