The film shows how it came about that in 1938 an airfield was built at the northeasternmost end of America, which could be advertised with the slogan “The Crossroads of the World” up until the 1960s. The golden years were over when not every plane had to stop in Gander before and after the Atlantic crossing. Back then, the beautiful and famous met for a cocktail in the improvised departure hall.
The descent went slowly but incessantly through the Cold War, when only the Eastern Bloc countries regularly landed in Gander and heads of state like Fidel Castro became favourite guests of the airport director. The city fell into dreams from the past. Gander International — The Airport in the Middle of Nowhere tells the story of how its inhabitants gradually move away from the great world stage and now have to reinvent themselves as well as their home town.
