Sunday Tips From David

In three weeks time the 13th Keswick Film Festival will be well under way. With so much on offer, how do you pick your way through the programme? We asked David Miller, Festival Programmer, for his tips:


The final day is another smorgasbord of choice!  Two early starts, both at the Theatre, provide the opportunity to see another Human Rights presentation, a Kurdish film, itself a prize-winner with  guest speaker who is both involved in Human Rights in Turkey and assists with the Kurdish film ferstival in London, Mustafa Gundogdu.  Or do you settle in for the 10 hour (yes, that is ten hour) epic that is Wagner, with expert Tony Palmer on hand, and an hour for lunch conveniently built-in!   This is a rare opportunity and obviously one that will appeal to music, as well as film lovers.

The early afternoon choice is one that could hardly be more divergent – the UK premiere of a Chinese film that has one of the most staggering performances by a child actor you are ever likely to see, or gentle Spanish humour .  Little Moth will leave you drained emotionally and Mia Sarah will put a smile on your face.  Which one appeals the most?  And then is it John Hurt ‘In Conversation’ with clips of many of his fantastic films, or A Separation one of the front-runners for the 2012 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year?  John Hurt is a national treasure and sure to have lots to say.  His coming to the festival, especially so soon after BAFTA recognises his extraordinary career by awarding him with the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award is just wonderful.

The two early evening slots are another clear – if difficult – choice, this time between the old or the new.  When the old is the Bfi archive of Tales From The Shipyard, including scenes from Barrow-In-Furness adding a very local flavour as well as Sean Connery’s only film as a director and the new is controversial Director Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia (with John Hurt in the cast!) you can see the dilemma!  And, for the grande finale, the last two films offer the opportunity to see pre-releases of two films that are both sure to be huge when they come out later in 2012.  Does the Argentinian drama Carancho (The Vulture) appeal more than Norway’s Babycall?   Whichever one you decide on you are sure to see a worthy finale to what promises to be a brilliant festival.”