More Short Films For Saturday

On Saturday 26th March, in association with the Osprey Short Film Awards, long-time friend of the festival Carl Hunter (Sometimes Always Never, Grow Your Own) will be showing two of his short films. In More Than Time he documents the streets of Liverpool as they have never been seen before. During lockdown, anonymous messages about 'missing and memory'; were left on an answer machine. These ghostly messages float above still photographs of an empty Liverpool. The film is a place where memory populates the streets of a once vibrant city, instead of its people. 

He will also be screening Still Rings a poetic reflection to the second lockdown in the COVID pandemic, in the company of award winning poet Jacqueline Saphra. Carl took a photograph from the same place on Crosby beach every day and Jacqueline wrote a poem every day. Words and pictures take us on a journey where sound is used to reimagine memory, creating sonic ghosts that serve to help us remember what we were missing.

Shuttle Bus to Rheged

With support from Film Hub North and the BFI Film Audience Network, we are able to run a free shuttle bus between Keswick and Rheged on the Sunday of the Festival, 27^th March, for those of you wanting to see The Souvenir Part ll, Master Cheng or Flee.

Buses will arrive at Rheged in time for the start of each film and the return journey will be in time for the next film at the Alhambra. Having said that, the bus will need to leave Rheged very promptly after the end of the films.

If you are interested, please contact festival@keswickfilmclub.org

Booking is essential as there are only 21 seats and we can't end up with 22 people at Rheged after Flee! 

Olga - UK Cinemas in Support of Ukraine

Having withdrawn Petrov’s Flu from the Festival programme, we are pleased to announce that it will be replaced by the Ukrainian film, Olga. 

The Festival is joining up with cinemas across the country under the banner of ‘UK Cinemas in support of Ukraine’ for a charity screening of Olga, raising funds to support the work of the Red Cross and Unicef. 

Set in 2013 the film is the story of the eponymous Olga, a talented and passionate 15-year-old Ukrainian gymnast, trying to make her place at the National Sports Centre in Switzerland. But the revolt of Euromaïdan breaks out in Kyiv, suddenly involving her relatives. While the young girl has to adapt to her new country and prepare for the European Championships, the Ukrainian revolution enters her life and shakes everything up. The film poignantly shows the anguish of expatriates as fighting breaks out back at home. 

Under the circumstances it would have been wholly inappropriate for us to screen a Russian film at the Festival, even though the Director had had his own problems with the Russian authorities. Olga won the Audience award at the Brussels Film Festival, was a winner in the Cannes Critics Week and was voted best feature film at Hamburg – politics aside, Olga will be worthy addition to the FilmFestival programme.

Osprey Short Films 2022

The judging panel has chosen 10 short films to screen at the Theatre by the Lake on Saturday 26th March. All of the films have a connection to Cumbria, whether that be on screen or behind the camera. The films range in length from a little over one minute to eleven minutes and cover an eclectic mix of subjects - running, walking and bouldering in the Lakes, a study of the Duddon Valley, stories of friendship and relationships, living with and alongside dementia and the modern-day disaster that is losing your mobile phone! 

Official Selection 2022

• A Perfect Day For Piracy by Pete Winterbottom (5 mins 26 secs)
• I Think I Know My Own Mind by Ronald Amanze, Jilly Jarman & Sarah Wallcook (5 mins 4 secs)
• #HELLP! by M J Poynton (5 mins 30 secs)
• Midair by Louis-Jack (4 mins)
• Rambler Man by Angus Imrie (11 mins 22 secs)
• Sing To Encounter Me by Laurence Campbell (8 mins 55 secs)
• Tender Buttons by Kitty Handley (8 mins 21 secs)
• The Show by Richard Rowden (9 mins 18 secs)
• Touching The Water by Hannah Maia, Maia Media (7 mins)
• War Torn by Luke Bain & Alexander Dodds (1 mins 3 secs)

More details on all these films can be found on our Osprey page.

Our new brochure has arrived

Oli Bentley, from Split Design, has done another amazing job on the brochure this year – it is in a new format but with the same stunning visuals. You can download a copy here or pick up a copy when you are in Keswick – the timeline is an essential part of the festival weekend.

There is also a full version of the programme to download as a simple pdf – its in black and white and ideal for perusing in those dim cinemas.

Glasgow Film Festival Comes To Keswick

To get you in the mood for a whole weekend of film, we have teamed up with the Alhambra and Glasgow Film Festival to bring three UK premieres to Keswick in the run up to our Festival. Starting with their opening film The Outfit on Wednesday 2nd March, followed by The Happening to recognise International Women's Day on the 8th and their closing film Murina on Sunday 13th, after the Film Club's screening of Lingui,The Sacred Bonds.

You can find more details on these films including links to book tickets on our Glasgow Film Festival page.

Tickets & Passes Now On Sale

Apologies for the delay in getting tickets and passes on sale. We have come up with a solution and tickets and passes are now available to buy on the Alhambra website for all screenings at the Alhambra and Theatre By The Lake. Sales of individual tickets for screenings at Rheged will only be available via Cinema - Rheged. 

You can find direct links to purchase tickets on our film pages and at the bottom of the tickets page. 

If you are buying a pass, please have a look at the ticketing page on our website, on our website or the Alhambra’s, for information as to how to book seats for individual films.