Osprey Short Film Award Winners

Congratulations to all eleven films shortlist for this year's Osprey Short Film Award. All of the films screened at The Alhambra on Saturday received 'Highly Commended' certificates. Many thanks to Rayna Campbell, the director of Lapse of Honour for announcing the winners in each category as follows:

18 & Under: The Eleutheromaniac and the Nostalgic by Harriet Wigginton
Open: Mourning by N. Andrew Elliot
Audience Award: Autumn Veil by BFI Film Academy

Sunday at the Festival

It's the final day of the festival but there's still lots to enjoy:

• Karun - Alhambra at 12:30pm
• The Last Explorers... - Alhambra at 2:10pm
• On the Side of the Road - Alhambra at 10:00am
• My Love, Don’t Cross that River - Studio at 12:30pm
• Karun - Alhambra at 12:30pm
• The Last Explorers... - Alhambra at 2:10pm
• Dukhtar - Alhambra at 3:30pm
• Ornette: Made in America - Studio at 3:30pm
• The Wolfpack - Alhambra at 5:30pm
• A Great Day in Harlem - Studio at 5:45pm
• A.K.A Nadia - Alhambra at 8:00pm
• Barker & Shaw At The Movies - Theatre at 7:30pm

Saturday at the Festival

Lots going on today at the Festival. An animation themed programme for children at Rheged, the Osprey Short Film Awards, a talk on special effects, Mark Kermode's Best Foreign Language Film, Q&As with the directors of Lapse Of Honour and The Closer We Get and the day ends with a late night screening of the critically acclaimed A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.

• This Changes Everything - Theatre at 10:00am
• Animation Workshops - Rheged at 11am, 1pm, 2:30pm
• The Peanuts Movie - Rheged at 11:00am
• Osprey Short Film Awards - Alhambra at 11am
• Court - Theatre at 1:30pm
• Dementia Friendly Screening: Calamity Jane - Alhambra at 1:30pm
• Sherpa - Rheged at 2:00pm
• Simon Hughes On Special Effects - Studio at 4:00pm
• The Closer We Get + Director's Q&A - Theatre at 4:00pm
• Still The Water - Alhambra at 4:00pm
• Imaginaerium - Studio at 7:00pm
• The Assassin - Alhambra at 7:00pm
• Lapse of Honour + Director's Q&A - Theatre at 7:00pm
• A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night - Alhambra at 9:30pm

Friday at the Festival

It's the first full day of the Festival and there's plenty to choose from:

• The Wonders - Alhambra at 12:30pm
• The Yes Men Are Revolting - Theatre at 12:30pm
• The Second Mother - Alhambra at 3:00pm
• Still Mine - Theatre at 3:00pm
• Polisse - Theatre at 5:45pm
• The Violators with Roxanne Pallett and director Helen Walsh - Alhambra at 6:00pm
• Life in a Fishbowl - Theatre at 8:30pm
• Round Midnight - Alhambra at 9:00pm

Opening Night From 6:30pm

The 17th Keswick Film Festival starts tonight at The Alhambra. There will be free drinks with live jazz, original songs, poetry and visuals from Total Recall - the youth project linked to our Memory strand and the launch of Will You Take Us In, Please? a new book on the Alhambra's 100 year history.

We welcome Tony Britten (In Love with Alma Cogan, Benjamin Britten - Peace and Conflict) back to Keswick to introduce his latest film, Chick Lit which we hope will raise a smile and a smirk to get the festival started.

After the film there is a party for pass-holders at the Golden Lion. Drinks can be bought at the bar and there will be lovely snacks and great company. A chance to discuss which of the other 28 films you'll be watching throughout the festival.

Guests: Tom Allen

Karun - Sunday 28th 12:30pm, Alhambra
Last Explorers On The Rio Santa Cruz - Sunday 28th 2:10pm, Alhambra

Tom Allen's film Janapar was hugely enjoyed at the Festival last year. This year he brings two films to the Festival along with the chance to chat about his exploits – and of course cycling. He says online, "Since 2006 I’ve been going on bicycle adventures to places like Sudan, Iran, Yemen, Syria, the Arctic, Ethiopia, Armenia and Mongolia. There’s about 40 countries on the list, but numbers are boring. A love of adventure is what drives my journeys, and a love of writing is what drives my blog".

Children's Animation Workshop at Rheged

Hey children,

Do you want to learn or develop your animation skills? Sheryl Jenkins, educator and animator will show you how to make your own flip book and then create a group film using pixilation, an animation technique using people, where you become one of the animated characters.  You can also bring along your cuddly toy, action figure, car or doll if you'd like them to star in the film too.

Saturday 27 February • 11am, 1pm, 2:30pm • Ages 5yrs+ •  Duration 1hr •

Guests: Simon Hughes

Simon Hughes On Special Effects - Saturday 4pm, Studio

Simon has been in the film industry for over 10 years and has worked as visual effects supervisor on films as diverse as Suffragette, Black Sea and The Theory of Everything. With clips of film and his experience he will take us into the world where what you see is no longer what is real. He will be pleased to answer questions

Guests: Roxanne Pallet

We are pleased to announce that Roxanne Pallett, star of Emmerdale, Dancing on Ice and Casualty will be attending the festival on Friday. Roxanne plays Carla in The Violators  (Alhambra, Fri 6pm) and will attend the screening with director Helen Walsh.
Roxanne burst onto our screens in 2005 in ITV's Emmerdale as Jo Stiles-Sugden. and instantly earned national recognition and nominations for Best Actress, Sexiest Female and Best Storyline. Her portrayal as the feisty but flawed character gripped the nation with the biggest domestic abuse storyline on screen that year, earning the actress 6 nominations and huge critical acclaim for her emotional performance as the vulnerable Jo.

2010 saw Roxanne treading the boards in three consecutive lead theatre roles - 1950's musical Around The Clock, Eve Ensler's sell out UK tour The Vagina Monologues and in 2011 she won the  role of Tina in two-hander, Satin 'n' Steel, directed by Joyce Branagh, which won her as much credibility and popularity on stage as she did previously on screen.

Guests: Rayna Campbell

Lapse Of Honour - Saturday 7pm. Theatre

Rayna Campbell is a producer, screenwriter and actor, based in London
but originally from Manchester. She won a New York Times scholarship to
train at the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York and recently starred in Layla Fourie which opened in competition at the Berlin Film Festival and won the special mention award. Rayna also won best actress for her role at the women's International Film Festival in Morocco.

Lapse of Honour is her debut feature which is set in and around her native Manchester.

Guests: Karen Guthrie

The Closer We Get - Saturday 4pm, Theatre

Karen was raised on the West coast of Scotland and now lives on a smallholding in the rural Lake District. She met co-producer and Director of Photography Nina Pope whilst students at Edinburgh College of Art and they have since worked together on many creative projects and commissions. Together they founded Somewhere in 2002 and have undertaken art commissions from the likes of Tate Modern and Cambridge University alongside their three feature documentaries: Jaywick Escapes, Living with the Tudors and Bataville:We Are Not Afraid of the Future.

The Closer We Get is Karen's solo directorial debut.

Guests: Helen Walsh

The Violators - Friday 6pm, Alhambra

Hailing from Warrington, Helen Walsh is an award-winning author (her first novel, Brass, won the Betty Trask award and her second, Once upon a Time in England, won a Somerset Maugham award) who has turned her considerable talents to screenwriting and directing. The Violators is her debut feature set in a grim Cheshire housing estate. Described as "a visceral and powerful debut film with more than a few twists along the way" it too has been nominated for many awards on the European Festival circuit.

Guests: Tony Britten

Chicklit - Thursday 7pm, Alhambra

We welcome Tony Britten back to Keswick where this year he achieves the singular honour of opening the Festival for the second time. In Love with Alma Cogan charmed audiences in 2012 and Tony returned the following year, with both film and cast of Peace and Conflict, his feature about the life of Benjamin Britten. Tony is a prolific composer and arranger of film, opera and theatre music and being a serious jazz fan may share some insights into our Jazz theme this year.

Accommodation, Penrith Events and Travel News

There are some great hotel deals after half-term. If you are living in Cumbria you can stay in the lovely hostel in Borrowdale, Barrow House, half price, subsidised by the Flood Fund. Or Denton House is in the town and has vacancies throughout the Festival. Unfortunately the YHA hostel is closed after flooding.

We are having some activities in Penrith too this year. The Soup Shop in the Devonshire Arcade is hosting events on Friday and Saturday. We will be showing the short films there and Blue Jam will have a childrens' orchestra there on Saturday morning.

Transport is improving and buses are running along the 591 through Dunmail Raise now. The Virgin Trains offer continues with 30% off Advance Off-Peak fares.