Holmfirth Film Festival

The Festival has a northern flavour to it and we hope to showcase the talents of actors, writers and directors from the area. We intend to open the Festival with a brand new film produced in the North.

The Festival will highlight the historical role the area has played in the development of film. There will be a major event centred on the contribution made by Bamforth Films of Holmfirth with film shows, talks and exhibitions. A special day of documentaries and films will be devoted to local Hollywood Star, James Mason.

Sat 22nd May - Opening Night

Preview party – Picturedrome, Holmfirth 2pm- 5pm, FREE

Find out what’s in store over the coming eight days – featuring:

Light Weight – Experience Impossible Theatre’s simply amazing globe. See films on a unique, giant 360 degree screen. “Magical and mesmerising… almost hypnotic.”

Your Face in the Movies – Add your mug to the mix. See it flicker into life on the giant silver screen – a star of the future?

Bamforth Seaside Flipside – Inspired by Bamforth’s saucy postcards, take part in seaside fun and games, with vintage vehicles and comic capers.

Star Signs – Picturedrome’s Peter Carr owns one of the world’s most important autograph collections which covers all genres, including world famous names from politics, science and the arts. Chairman Mao, Winston Churchill, JFK, Frank Whittle and Marie Curie. See Peter’s selection of British and Hollywood film star autographs – all strictly A-List.

Official Festival Launch Event - 3.00

Chocolat – St John’s Church, Upper Denby 5pm & 7pm, FREE

The church will be open from 3pm for hot chocolate drinks, refreshments, goodies and homemade cakes.

A special ‘drop-in’ chocolate-workshop including tasting and cookery demonstration with Ministry of Chocolate. Everyone welcome. Refreshments available. Followed at 7.00 pm by a showing of the film based on the book, Chocolat, by local author, Joanna Harris.

In a small French town, Vianne (Juliette Binoche) opens a chocolate shop which is soon talk of the locals as she predicts which sweets will cure them of their maladies. Resentment and romance feature in an entertaining fairy-tale that also stars Johnny Depp and Judi Dench. Bring a cushion! Children must be accompanied by an adult. Details: zoelewis31@btinternet.com. www.achurchnearyou.com/denby-st-john-the-evangelist

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning – Picturedrome 7.30, tickets £4.00

The Festival opens with a red carpet event with a first screening of a smart and subversive award-winning short film directed by Huddersfield’s own Adam Wimpenny and featuring Skelmanthorpe’s rising star, Jodie Whittaker. Followed by a 50th Anniversary showing with a sparkling new print of the film that personifies the British ‘New Wave’ and made a star of Albert Finney.

Roar Dir. Adam Wimpenny (UK: 2009, 16 mins)
A smart and subversive award-winning short film directed by Huddersfield’s own Adam Wimpenny and featuring Skelmanthorpe’s rising star, Jodie Whittaker.

Saturday Night And Sunday Morning
Dir. Karel Reisz (UK: 1960, 89 mins)
Based on Alan Sillitoe’s autobiographical novel, the film has crackling dialogue, a powerful central performance that made a star of Albert Finney, great support from Shirley Anne Field and Rachel Roberts, and a superb jazz score by Johnny Dankworth.

The Picturedrome, 7.30 pm. Tickets: £4.00 (£3.50 conc.) William Sykes/Picturedrome

Let the Right One In – Picturedrome 10pm, tickets £4.00

A special late night showing (10.00 pm) of an instant classic:

Let The Right One In

Dir. Tomas Alfredson (Sweden: 2009, 114 mins)
A stunning take on the vampire romance genre. This award-winning dark tale of loyalty and friendship between bullied schoolboy, Oskar, and a child vampire has taken the festival circuit by storm. The perfect late-night movie.

The Picturedrome, 10.00 pm. Tickets: £4.00 (£3.50 conc.)

Sun 23rd May – Birthplace of British Cinema

Day of visual delights – Picturedrome 12.30 – 6pm, tickets from £3.50

Holmfirth Cinema – Brian Haigh from the University of Huddersfield talks on the history of the Valley Theatre (now the Pitcturedrome) built in 1912. Katina Bill, Kirklees Collections Officer, sets film in context with A Century of Bamforth. 12.30pm The Box Office (Free)

Professor Heard’s Peerless Magic Lantern Show – Traditional Victorian Family Entertainment with amazing hand-painted colour picture stories, sights, frights, moral warnings and mechanical moving pictures. The show includes the dazzling piano of the internationally renowned Stephen Horne, long considered one of the leading accompanists to silent films, whose performances are ‘astonishing to experience’. 2.00-3.30pm The Picturedrome

Stephen Horne also accompanies…

Bamforth Films – Dr. Vanessa Toulmin, Curator of the Fairground Archive at Sheffield University, presents a special showing of the silent films of Bamforth, a studio once seen as Britain’s answer to Hollywood. When war broke out in 1914, movie-making in Holmfirth came to an end. These films are now recognised by historians as the earliest examples of British comic film. ‘Bamforth should be remembered as the first to capture on film the music hall tradition of northern slapstick comedy,’ suggests Dr Toulmin. A tradition that continues with Last of the Summer Wine. 3.30-4.30 pm The Picturedrome

Bamforth Meeting - An informal meeting of all those interested in establishing a permanent presence in Holmfirth for the Bamforth legacy. 5.00 pm The Box Office

Up (Childrens’ film) – Upperthong village hall 3pm, tickets from £3.00

Up (US: Disney Pixar, 2009, 96 mins)
Masterful, Oscar-winning animated comedy adventure about a 78 year-old man who ties balloons to his house and flies away with an eight year-old stowaway. Exciting, hilarious and heartfelt, it is impeccably crafted and told with wit and depth. ‘An instant classic.’ Refreshments available.

A Prophet – Picturedrome 7pm, tickets £4.00

A Prophet Dir. Jacques Audiard (Fr. 2009, 150 mins)
Imprisoned for six years, nineteen-year-old Malik (Tahar Rahim) is drawn into the brutal violence and gang-warfare of prison life in an unmissable, mould-breaking crime thriller. Taken under the wing of a powerful crime boss, Malik is entrusted with more and more dangerous missions. Award winner at Cannes and London, A Prophet has been classed as ‘the best gangster film since The Godfather’. ‘The Movie of the Year’ – The Times

Mon 24th May - Holmfirth Short Film Day

A chance to see a unique collection of short films from the last sixty years about Holmfirth and the surrounding area, chronicling its history, its characters and (un)changing landscape. The Holme Valley as it once was…

Holmfirth Short Films – Old Bridge Hotel, 2 – 4.30pm, FREE

Documentaries with John Murray
Local documentary film-maker, John Murray, talks about his fascinating career. First employed in the mid-fifties by Picture Post magazine, he landed a permanent post (after the previous occupant committed suicide in the Amazon) as a film producer for Cadburys. Subsequently a news camerman with the BBC, he settled in Huddersfield and, until his retirement from Leeds University, made films for English Heritage and his own Kirklees Films. He will be showing a selection of his own films on Huddersfield, Berry Brow, David Browns and local events.

Old Bridge Hotel, 2.00-3.00 pm, Free

Huddersfield Cine Club
The Huddersfield Video and Cine Club will be showcasing its collection of films with a Holmfirth connection made over the years by its members. These include amongst others Wish you were here, a history of Bamforth postcards; Bailey’s Baths, a history of the Holmforth Lido; Following the Wine, a look at the impact of Summer Wine on the town and an interview with Bill Owen.

Old Bridge Hotel, 3.30-4.30 pm, Free

Teatime talks – Old Bridge Hotel 6 – 7pm, FREE

A series of entertaining daily talks on film by lecturers at the University of Huddersfield New Wave to Brit-Grit – Justine Ashby talks on British Cinema since the 1960s. When Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was released in 1960, it heralded a new kind of realist film of Northern, working-class locations and gritty subjects, for a new era of British cinema. Justine considers the legacy of the highly distinctive British New Wave films and recent successes such as Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire.

Holmfirth short films continue… Picturedrome 7.30 – 9.30pm, FREE

A rare showing at the Picturedrome Of Funerals and Fish, the pilot episode of Roy Clarke’s Last of the Summer Wine, starring Peter Salis, Bill Owen and one of the original trio, Michael Bates. First shown on Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973, it is not available on DVD and is largely unseen. Two men steal Compo’s TV and he retaliates by stealing Nora Batty’s underwear from her washing line.

Beyond the Summer Wine – The Festival awards its coveted Golden Compos to the winners of its short film competition. The selection panel includes local artist, Ashley Jackson, and the event is sponsored by the South Pennine Leader Project. The 10 minute and 60 second categories showcase individual films inspired by the landscapes of the Holme Valley.

Holme the Enchanted Valley Dir. Chris Keys (1.00)
7 / 4 Random News (An edited highlight) Dir. Rachel Byrom, Emma Mehrdadi and Lily Meakin (1.20)
Summer Wine women Dir. Maz Bradley (8.00)
The Holmfirth Boggart Dir. Phillip Lofas (4.34)
The Disperate Bunch Dir. Lefty (3.14)
Beyond the Summer Wine Dir. Colin Thorton (2.27)
Holmfirth News (The adverts!) Dir. Dan and Sol Price (1.00)
Bruce Brill Dir. Ben North and Bruce H Gill (7.58)

Robert Harrison’s amazing films taken from space - Using DIY parts costing £500 and lots of duct tape, Robert’s weather balloon soared to 20 miles above the planet’s surface, controlled by a car Satnav. His camera returned to Highburton with spectacular shots of the Earth that left NASA experts scratching their heads as to how he did it.

Films by prolific local film-maker and chronicler of the times, Miss Lockwood, including Holmfirth in Wartime and The Winter of 1947. The films are accompanied by specially composed soundtracks by Holmfirth’s ‘unfailing inventive composer’, Barry Russell, who has the ability, the BBC noted, to ‘make the ordinary extraordinary’. Barry’s compositions and work with young people have received glowing reviews around the world.

Picturedrome, 7.30 pm onwards, Free

Tue 25th May – International Short Film Day

Short films are wonderful. Every great film director cuts their teeth making them, young hopefuls use them to experiment. To shoot, edit and, most importantly, distribute film is easier and cheaper than ever before. Film makers now communicate to a global audience. Famously, Holmfirth’s Bamforth studio used local talent and slapstick to bring its ideas to life on film, with results that are as vivid and vital today as they were a century ago. It was this spirit of invention that we wanted to capture and present to a new audience in Holmfirth. The response from international, national and local film-makers to our call for submissions has been amazing – the quality astonishing.

National and international short film day – Old Bridge Hotel 2 – 5pm, FREE

A treasure trove of wonderful new short films – Dip into this entertaining mix of drama, animation, comedy and experimental films from across the globe. With an appeal to a wide audience, the range of films embrace every aspect of short film-making talent. Expect to be surprised, moved and amused. (Films: Certificate 12)

Paci (India) Dir. J.D. Imaya Varman (9.32)
Steps (USA) Dir. Barney Cheng (3.00)
On / Off (UK) Dir. Augousta Zourelidi (1.20)
Malfunction (Turkey) Dir. Ayce Kartal (7.44)
Vive La Crise! (Romania) Dir. Alexi Gubenco (3.10)
The Empty Chair (Norway) Dir. Christer Larsen (6.03)
Lovers Jump (UK) Dir. Mark McCombe (5.47)
Bill’s Visitors (Australia) Dir. Simon Deshon (8.00)
How To Boil an Egg (Part 1) (UK) Dir. Ryan Hooper (2.00)
Play (UK) Dir. Muriel d’Ansembourg (11.00)
Personal Jesus (UK – Scotland) Dir. Joe Carter (11.49)
Wandering with my Shadow (UK) Dir. Rani Khanna (2.14)
Not Yet (UK) Dir. Tito Sacchi (5.15)
Telemaco (Spain) Dir. Jorge M. Rodrigo (4.00)
#7 (Spain) Dir. Nacho Solana and Luis Miguez Artabe (4.00)

+ OTHERS From the Other 3 Programmes
(approx 90.00)

Teatime talks – Old Bridge Hotel 6 – 7pm, FREE

The Art of Scriptwriting – Budding film-makers will want to hear University of Huddersfield Lecturer, Alf Bower, talk on the craft of scriptwriting. Illustrated with clips from Jurassic Park, Black Hawk Down and Star Wars, he discusses plot, structure, and the evolution of the screenplay into a shooting-script; with a free downloadable scriptwriting programme. Alf has written a number of film scripts and as a Lighting Cameraman on more than thirty independent productions has won awards at international film festivals.

Local short film viewing – Hepworth village hall 7pm, FREE

Enjoy an entertaining selection of the best of the local short films on the Holme Valley. Further details: www.hepworthvillagehall.org.uk

International short films continue… Picturedrome 7.30 – late, tickets £4.00

The cream of the short film submissions – Films from Yorkshire, Derbyshire and the Northwest, as well as work from the United States, Turkey, Australia, Spain, Italy and Wales! An eclectic mix of drama, animation, comedy and experimental films that embrace the very best in short film-making talent. Prize winners will receive the Festival’s Golden Compos. Please note that some themes may offend and that the language used is at times explicit. Films: Certificate 15) See Festival website for further details of the films.

Here (UK) Dir. Dave Lee (4.00)
Very Heaven (UK) Dir. Gopal Dutta (11.31)
Mr Bradley Mr Martin Hear Us Through the Hole in Thin Air (UK) Dir. Greig Johnson (4.59)
If Only it was a World Away (UK) Dir. Emily Brooke-Davis (1.00)
Scent (UK) Dir. Darren Bolton (16.29)
Lamb (UK) Dir. Andrew McVicar (9.35)
Flowers Tomorrow (UK) Dir. Aidey Pugh (10.00)

The Postcard (France) Dir. Le Lay Stefan (7.30)
Wrath (UK) Dir. Sam Hendi (9.24)
Heartstrings (UK – Wales) Dir. Rhiannon Evans (2.51)
Borders (Czech Republic) Dir. Gyorgy Kristof (5.00)
Super Bob (UK) Dir. Jon Drever (3.17)
Alone (Spain) Dir. Gerard Freixes Ribera (3.06)
La Pinata (Spain) Dir. Manuel Arija (3.00)
The 16th Lesson by Lewis Darby (UK) Dir. Lewis Darby (2.49)
Delete (Bulgaria) Dir. Simeon Tsonchev (6.00)
Wedlock (Israel) Dir. Itai Raziel (8.22)
Te Quiero (Spain) Dir. Sergi Portabella (10.00)
(approx 120.00)

Wed 26th May – Films, Books and Music

An evening with David Peace – Holmfirth library 6.30pm, tickets £3.50

Special film / book double bill in collaboration with the holmfirth book club – Holmfirth library 6.30pm, tickets £3.50

King Coal: This Working Life (UK: BFI, 2009, 46 mins)
A riveting look at a century of coal and its immeasurable effect on British life explored in a collection of British Film Institute National Archive film that has attracted glowing reviews.

David Peace – The acclaimed Yorkshire author, talks about his books and film adaptations – including the Red Riding trilogy, The Damned United and GB84 on the Miners’ Strike – with the Director of the Sheffield Showcase, Bill Lawrence.

Refreshments available. Limited tickets, available from the Library.

Fabulous film quiz – Carniceria, victoria street 8pm, FREE

Test your knowledge of the movies. Prize of a gallon of Bamforth’s Best Bitter – specially brewed by The Nook Brewhouse for the Festival. Teams of Four welcome – £1.00 each. Telephone 01484 681568 for further details.

Nowhere Boy – Upperthong village hall 8pm, tickets £3.50

The Festival comes to Upperthong with an excellent British film Nowhere Boy Dir. Sam Taylor-Wood (UK, 2009, 97 mins) Aaron Johnson captures John Lennon to perfection in this bio-pic which tracks the rebellious 15-year-old living in stifling 50’s Liverpool suburbia with Aunt Mimi (the excellent Kirstin Scott Thomas). Abandoned by his father and estranged from his mother (a fine performance by Anne-Marie Duff), it ends with Lennon’s departure for Hamburg with two other unknowns, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Brilliantly evoking the period, it is a joyful, moving coming-ofage movie.

Bar available. Tickets from festival outlets and The Royal Oak, Upperthong

Silent film soundtrack evening – Picturedrome 8pm, tickets £4.00

New Soundtracks to Silent Films – Stunning and unique musical experience with live performances of specially composed brilliant new scores to classic silent films by internationally and nationally acclaimed composers among the staff and students of Music at the University of Huddersfield.

Destined to be one of the highlights of the Festival, listen in glorious 5.1 surround sound as solo musicians and ensemble groups accompany classic silent films in a variety of contemporary styles. Among the performers is renowned composer and Holmfirth resident, Monty Adkins, twice nominated for the international Quartz awards.

Thu 27th May – James Mason Day

Special £4.00 ticket is available for all Mason events, available from Festival outlets

Huddersfield-born James Mason was Britain’s biggest Hollywood star. The bad-boy character actor with the silky-smooth voice became a swashbuckling and romantic leading man in a career spanning six decades and over 100 films. He rarely gave a bad performance and was often outstanding in such films as Lolita, Odd Man Out, A Star is Born and today’s film…

The life of James Mason – Old Bridge Hotel 2pm

Local inventor, writer and artist Wilf Lunn introduces documentaries about and by his friend, James Mason:

The Star They Loved To Hate (Granada Television, 1984, 47 Mins)
Prickly, awkward and a perfectionist, Mason never embraced the Hollywood system. He could be blunt and outspoken as shown in this rarely seen interview.

The Tell-Tale Heart Dir. Ted Parmelee (US: 1953, 8 mins)
Spooky and atmospheric, this forgotten short-film of the Edgar Allan Poe classic has an inspired voice-over by Mason.

Home James: James Mason Turns Again To Huddersfield (Yorkshire Television, 1972, 49 mins)
Mason lived in Hollywood for more than twenty years but increasingly came to realise his fondness for Huddersfield and, in 1972, made a nostalgic film about his roots in the town.

Bigger Than Life – Picturedrome 4pm, tickets £4.00

Bigger Than Life Dir. Nicholas Ray (US: 1956, 95 mins)
Dismissed on its release, this gorgeous Cinemascope film is now regarded as one of the finest films of the 1950s. Mason was at the top of his form when he co-wrote, produced and starred in this tale of a school-teacher whose life spirals out of control after taking the ‘miracle drug’ cortisone. A wonderful and subversive uncovering of conformist middle-America.

Teatime talks – Old Bridge Hotel 6pm, FREE

University of Huddersfield Lecturer Paul Ward presents his Oral History Project on peoples’ memories of James Mason. It was “a fantastic opportunity … to hear from people who had met Mason, who had visited the town often in the 1960s and 70s. He was very proud of Huddersfield and, in return, despite rocky relations when he went to America and criticised the town, was forgiven for coming home. Huddersfield became very proud of him.”

An evening with Barry Norman - Picturedrome 7.30pm, tickets £12.00

An enjoyable evening of clips and chat from Britain’s favourite film reviewer Barry Norman – Shows clips from his favourite films and talks about the major Hollywood stars he interviewed over a period of 30 years. There will be a Q&A session with Barry conducted by Tony Earnshaw, Director of the Bradford International Film Festival.

A unique opportunity to meet the man who has so many great stories to tell as the long-running presenter of the BBC’s cinema review programme.

Fri 28th May – New Films and Music

Ladies who lunch – Picturedrome 2.30 start, tickets from £4.00

Enjoy lunch at Holmfirth’s best restaurants followed by one of the year’s top films at the Picturedrome. A special £10.00 ticket includes a light lunch (from 12.00 till 2.00) at Mezze, Harrow’s or Carniceria.

An Education Dir. Lone Scherfig (UK: 2009, 100 mins)
Set in the early 1960s, Nick Hornby’s sweet and romantic script – based on journalist Lynn Barber’s acclaimed memoir – follows the coming-of-age of a young woman (BAFTA winner Carey Mulligan) whose route to an exciting life leads to London and an affair with a worldly-wise and charming older man – but one with dubious friends.

Teatime talks – Old Bridge Hotel 4.30 – 7pm, FREE

Richard Burton - Tony Earnshaw, Artistic Director of the Bradford International Film Festival, re-assesses the work of one of Britain’s finest actors. Using Burton’s own words and clips from his 35-year long career in Hollywood, Tony’s portrait of the melancholic Welsh lion reveals the raw power of his performances. 4.30 – 5.30 pm

The End of Censorship? - Former Film Examiner with the British Board of Film Classification in London, Paul Navarro, may have seen more films than it’s wise for any man to suffer. Paul’s talk on censorship is illustrated with examples of what’s left on the cutting-room floor. Be warned, this may not be for those of a nervous or easily shocked disposition. 6.00 – 7.00 pm

The White Ribbon – Hepworth village hall 7pm, FREE

The Yorkshire Branch of the British Federation of Film Societies and Hepworth Film Night present a FREE showing of the Palme d’Or winner and Oscar nominated film.

The White Ribbon Dir. Michael Haneke (Ger.: 2009, 144 mins) Critics have acclaimed this gripping story of repression and violence set in a sleepy German village on the brink of the First World War a masterpiece.

Music from the silver screen – Holmbridge Parish Church 7.30pm, tickets £5.00
The Holme Valley Orchestra – Wonderful evening for all ages of memorable film music compered by Barry Russell. Conducted by James W. Morgan and led by Paula Berry, the Orchestra play music from Titanic, Apocalypse Now, James Bond, ET, Star Trek and many more popular and great films. Accompanied children free.

HFF / Fairtrade event – Picturedrome 7.30pm, tickets £4.00

Capitalism: A Love Story Dir. Michael Moore (US: 2009, 127 mins)
‘You don’t have to be a revolutionary to appreciate this film,’ said The Guardian of the year’s highest grossing documentary. This expose of Wall Street’s casino mentality and the excesses of corporate greed is delivered in the Moore style – funny, controversial with strongly made points that leave viewers with much to ponder and debate.

Plus short films from the FAIRTRADE campaign, whose aim is to encourage awareness of trade justice issues. Profits from the event will support the Holme Valley Fairtrade Support Group.

Sat 29th May - It’s a wrap

Doctor Simpo’s cartoon workshop – Picturedrome 10am, tickets £10.00

A one-off chance to learn the techniques of animation and create your own cartoon characters under the guidance of an expert. Suitable for 10 – 16 year olds.

Doctor Simpo covers the principles and basics of animation, and how to bring cartoon characters to life. Includes an hour screening of the best animated cartoons you are ever likely to see.

There is likely to be a heavy demand for this event, and unfortunately there are only 30 tickets available… book now!

Childrens’ cartoon hour – Picturedrome, 12.00 (midday) tickets £2.00

Tex Avery – 60 ish -action packed minutes from the Cartoon Director who brought you Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Droopy the Dog, and the award-winning classic film, King-Size Canary. Avery inspired the ‘Sponge Bob Square Pants Generation’ of animators..

Rough Around The Edges – Picturedrome 2pm, FREE

Rough Around The Edges – Dir. Jim Dickinson (Yorkshire: 2009, 90 mins)
Raw comedy drama in the style of Rita, Sue and Bob Too. Filmed in Wakefield, Honley and Holmfirth, local film-maker Jim Dickinson and producer Jess Hinchliffe show what can be achieved with a small crew on a limited budget. TV presenter Gail Porter thought it a ‘funny and gritty piece of film-making depicting a web of sex, love, death, deceit, laughter and nosey neighbours’. (Film: Certificate 15)

lights, camera, action… Picturedrome/Box Office 8pm, tickets from £10.00

Celebrate the end of the Festival at the Film Dance, with bands, films, cabaret and Dirty Dancing disco.

Hit the floor with The Blues Brothers and some Saturday Night Fever, It’s Strictly Ballroom with the sensational The Dudes Abide. Glam up as your favourite film star or Dancing Queen – win a prize for the best costume. Then smooch to Catrin Morris And The Movies in The Box Office bar.

It’s a wrap…