After the coronavirus outbreak the Beeston Film Festival will now be hosted on Facebook, meaning all the best international indie films will still be available for your viewing pleasure. We talk to John Currie, festival director, about what people can expect...
After the coronavirus outbreak, where can people find the Beeston Film Festival?
We had originally planned three venues over five days. However, the festival will now be online via our Facebook page. Each session will be broadcast on Watch at the planned time. Filmmakers have been incredibly generous in giving us permission to do this.
The festival is now in its sixth year. How much has it grown in that time?
Hugely in terms of screen time, venues, reputation and, most importantly, quality of films! This year we have the BAFTA nominated Kamali, as well as an array of UK stars including Alison Steadman, Warren Brown, Mark Benton and Paul Kaye.
What made you want to set up the festival in the first place?
I produced a film, Go With God, that screened at festivals around the world. The first was in a Dublin pub where I spent the weekend drinking Guinness and watching amazing international short films - I was instantly hooked. Three weeks later the Beeston Film Festival was born!
Would you say the festival is as much about community as it is films?
The festival is fundamentally local and global. We have over 30 Beestonians involved in the selection and nomination process. This year the team spent thousands of hours reviewing entrants to ensure they selected the best. The team creates the the B'Oscar short list which is reviewed by our international jury of 20 from the UK, USA, France, Belgium, Germany, Greece, South Africa and India. So it is deeply rooted in the community but also reaches out to the wider world.
Who should check out the festival?
The programme covers drama, comedy, horror, animation, documentaries and so much more. There is something for everyone (of 15 years upwards)!
Which films do people have to see?
Every session has quality throughout so they're all worth watching. Some of my personal favourites from local filmmakers include Dave Lilley's comedy Socks and Robbers, Sophie Black's fan fiction movie Growing Shadows and George Hampshire's fabulous animation The Squid. All of these have been nominated for B'Oscars demonstrating that creativity in the East Midlands is up there with the best on the planet.
The Beeston Film Festival will stream on their Facebook page between Wednesday 25 and Sunday 29 March.
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