We've counted up all your votes from the weekend and the quality of films on offer was as good as we can remember. Only 3 of the 24 films scored less than 60% and you rated a staggering 17 out of 24 at 70% or over.
Between Two Worlds and Parallel Mothers scored almost identically at a shade over 83% and Flee, as is usual with quality documentaries, scored at 85%. A list of scores is available on the website.
Around 100 people turned up to the Osprey Short Film Awards on Saturday afternoon at the Theatre By The Lake. The 10 shortlisted films were screened along with two new short films from director Carl Hunter.
The judges prize was awarded to MIDAIR by Louis-Jack, a bouldering film featuring some of the UK's strongest climbers in iconic Lake District locations, set to a pumping techno soundtrack.
The audience selected RAMBLER MAN directed by Angus Imrie for the Audience Award. Written, produced and starring cumbrian native Ewan Pollitt who collected the award. The film, also starring Tim Bentinck (best known for his long-running role on the radio as David Archer) explores mental health, masculinity and our emotional connections with the great outdoors.
Keswick Film Festival returns after more than two years away.
Our opening film Ali & Ava will be preceded at 6.30 with a glass of wine and some Asian canapes, courtesy of Cockermouth’s Toral’s Kitchen. Its going to be a great way to open the Festival and tickets are still available.
We go through until Sunday night at 8.30pm in the Alhambra with the possible Oscar winner 'The Worst Person in the World' from Norway. Along the way you have the chance to see films from all round the World, including 'Drive My Car' from Japan, 'Petite Maman' from France, 'Olga' from Ukraine, 'Parallel Mothers' from Spain and 'Flee' from Denmark. There are films at the Alhambra, at the Theatre by the Lake and at Rheged. There are the Osprey Awards for local filmmakers, and we even have a Young Programmers Fringe Festival this year in Screen 2 at the Alhambra.
For full details go to Festival programme where you can also book your tickets or even buy a pass to the whole festival. Don't miss out - it is going to be a great weekend!
We are not running the festival with social distancing but it makes sense to be as careful as possible to stay safe as Covid is still around.
With that in mind:-
During the Festival we would ask that people take a test before attending, to continue to wear masks and leave a reasonable distance between themselves and others in the auditorium – we are not expecting the majority of screenings to be full to capacity.
Venues will be fully aired between screenings.
We will offer a refund to anyone who cannot attend after testing positive up to 48 hours before you are due to come. This may take some time to process. If anyone feels that they can forego a refund to assist with the sustainability of the Festival that would be hugely appreciated – we are a small arts charity and the Festival is largely self-funded.
The Alhambra's Young Programmers are curating a Festival Fringe in the Alhambra's Screen 2. Here's Cameron, one of the head programmers at the Alhambra Cinematic Society at Keswick School to introduce their selection.
We have chosen three films to show during the weekend, all of which are from a different director and have their own unique and wonderful art style and themes:
Saturday 26th March 11.00am - Alhambra
Moulin Rouge - the flamboyant, glitzy and provocative art style of this upbeat and interestingly plotted film will keep you enthralled for the whole of its runtime, with superb performances from Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman and Jim Broadbent.
Saturday 26th March 2.00pm - Alhambra
Following directed by Christopher Nolan - this surreal experience was One of Nolan’s first ever works and is very niche in its noir art style, it will surely be a unique visual engagement during the festival.
Saturday 26th March 6.00pm - Alhambra
The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson - this epic film will have you on tenterhooks from the very beginning: an art theft, murder and a coming of age story rolled into one occurring in the background of Wes Anderson’s beautifully intricate cinematography where every little detail is accounted for. This will be a fantastic journey and a thrilling viewing experience accompanied by the classical and contemporary musical score of Alexander Desplat.
We hope you enjoy and appreciate the art style of these three superbly unique films from three different directors whether it’s Anderson, Luhrmann or Nolan.
Have a fantastic time!
Tickets can be booked via the Alhambra website, free entry for Festival pass holders.
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.
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, 27th 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!
