Film / News
Bristol Film Festival expands in March
‘Tension’ is the theme of this year’s expanded Bristol Film Festival, which returns to such non-traditional film venues as the RWA, SS Great Britain, Bristol City Museum, Redcliffe Caves and Bristol Cathedral and adds Arnos Vale Cemetery and the Hotel du Vin.
The bulk of the Festival takes place from March 9-12, with the Everyman cinema forming its hub, though events will continue all year. Highlights include nautical romp Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, starring Russell Crowe, appropriately screened aboard the SS Great Britain; Mike Leigh’s Oscar nominated Mr Turner in the RWA’s main gallery; and an after dark double-bill of Jurassic Park and Hitchcock’s Blackmail (which, of course, has a famous museum sequence) at the City Museum.
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Arnos Vale is the venue for such mildly macabre, family-friendly fare as The Addams Family, Coraline and The Corpse Bride. For adult audiences, Redcliffe Caves will be transformed into a Cold War-style bunker to host a new Underground Cinema programme of cult classics, ranging from Dr. Strangelove, Psycho and A Clockwork Orange to Reservoir Dogs, American Psycho and Natural Born Killers.
The festival’s Music & The Movies series returns to Bristol Cathedral for an organ-accompanied screening of the 1920s silent classic The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. The Arnolfini then hosts the documentary Get Better: A Film About Frank Turner, featuring a Q&A introduction with director Ben Morse. In collaboration with the Bristol International Jazz & Blues Festival, BFF also presents a unique screening of a new cut of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, accompanied by acclaimed local saxophonist Andy Sheppard and guest musicians performing a specially commissioned score.
Those who’ve enjoyed BFF’s previous boozy ‘drinkalong’ events at Averys’ Wine Cellar will be delighted to learn that Sideways is back, along with the Sean Connery Bond flick From Russia with Love. The Festival also launches a more genteel sister series under the Beyond Popcorn banner at the Hotel du Vin. This kicks off with a Valentine’s Day screening of Chocolat accompanied by, erm, chocolate (see what they did there?) and continues with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel plus afternoon tea.
Local filmmakers are not neglected, as the Festival also plans a partner event with Knowle West Media Centre in May. This will present the completed films from the Centre’s From Her Point Of View project, providing aspiring female filmmakers with training and the resources to make short films.
See the Bristol Film Festival website for full details and booking information.
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