ST FRANCIS BAY’S ANDRE HUGO'S DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES “NOSTALGIA” AT EASTERN CAPE FILM EXPO SCREENING
- ECDC - Eastern Cape Development Corporation
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
Trying to figure out how people can be driven so much through nostalgia inspired St Francis Bay’s filmmaker Andre Hugo’s creation of the documentary, Tokens for a Time Machine.
Screened today on Day 2 of the Eastern Cape Film Expo, the documentary is set in Paarl in the Western Cape and tells a story of two brothers who sell secondhand furniture. They collect and buy the unwanted items from households, but through their work, they encounter long-lost gaming items from their past.
What began as a passion project has now put them on a journey of becoming a voice within a niche retro gaming community. This short documentary explores their journey and why nostalgia is such a powerful force that can transport us in time.
Their actual passion is collecting 80s and 90s vintage computer games and play stations among others. They go into these homes and sometimes find these old games which one can’t get anywhere anymore.
“They’ve been doing this for so many years, and they’ve built a collection of these vintage games and paraphernalia from the 80s and 90s. The documentary is all about nostalgia – trying to figure out how someone can be driven so much through nostalgia. I came across a posting of old video games they had collected, and I came across a game I played as a kid. The whole nostalgic thing overcame me. I didn’t realise that something I haven’t seen in over 20 years can have such a strong visceral impact. That’s what got me interested in them. This took me into their world, and I had a glimmer of their nostalgia and why they went full blown in attempting to “recreate” the 80s and 90s,” says Hugo.
The documentary follows them around, witnessing firsthand how they get these games and their thoughts on these collections, and what it means to them.
The target audience for this documentary is for people born in the 1980s who will remember and connect with these games at a time when computers were being first introduced. It’s for anyone with a fascination for old stuff.
“I directed this film and worked with Michael Ellis as director of photography. The entire documentary was done in 24 hours. We are part of an online platform called the Art of Documentary. Every year, they have a festival called the One Day Doc, where filmmakers are required to shoot a film and submit it within 24 hours. This was the perfect subject for a one-day documentary,” Hugo says.
Tokens for a Time Machine was nominated for best cinematography and best collaboration for the One Day Doc festival.
“We are now screening the documentary at the film expo to connect with likeminded people, and to also further my career by connecting with producers and funders for future projects. I am talking to people that can unlock funding opportunities such as the ECDC and the Industrial Development Corporation,” explains Hugo.
The documentary has also been screened at Cinemate in Stellenbosch in September 2024. Cinemate is a community of solo film makers who get together and screen films.
