East London Food & Culture

Video: Hooksmith Press

Watch this charming tale of a man obsessed with what he calls 'the significance of the insignificant'

Joshua Panter is a filmmaker and photographer based in Leytonstone, and he dropped us a line to say he’s just made a delightful short about the Hooksmith Press, situated near St John’s Church, whom we featured here a couple of years ago.

“It’s a film about Russell Frost,” he says, “a New Zealand born, former fly-fisher who now produces letterpress prints in his workshop. Russell was kind enough to offer an insight into the creative and technical aspects of his craft, giving us a glimpse into the machinery, equipment and process required to create his prints.”

A still from the film. Image: Joshua Panter
And appealing insight it is. With tinkling piano soundtrack, the beautifully shot 5-minute film covers both the story of the heavily bearded owner and his journey from New Zealand to east London. We learn why he was called ‘Fossil’ as a kid, why he has a thing for wood type – not to mention trouts – and what he terms “the significance of the insignificant”.

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In short? A nice slice of escapism for those who can’t shake Article 50 or the word ‘trigger’ from their minds.

Find Hooksmith at 54 Church Lane E11. It’s open weekends only 11am-6pm

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