When it all started
The festival was founded in 2012 by Natalie and Benjamin Scarsbrook. Their aim was to create a festival that would not only entertain but also educate, as well as giving filmmakers a place to showcase their work. As professional filmmakers themselves they set about creating a festival they themselves would want to attend, hence every event is tailored to make sure the audience, be it for a workshop or film screening, is made to feel welcome and enjoys the experience.
Short Film Competition
The short film competition is open to anyone of any age, from any country. So long as the film is under 15 minutes and adheres to the submission guidelines anyone can enter! Every film entered is viewed by the organisers to whittle them down to the official screening selection, from there a select few are nominated and sent off to the celebrity judges for... well, judging. The winning filmmakers are rewarded at an award ceremony at the climax of the festival.
The Festival
Throughout the week of the festival there are many public events and workshops to attend. Alongside the short film screenings are several classic feature films, films previously shown include Singin' In The Rain, Grease, Mary Poppins, Psycho, The Sound of Music and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Workshops
The workshops are open to school and college students from the borough and are designed to give insight into a specific area of film (e.g. Censorship), there have been workshops on scriptwriting, editing and a one day crash-course in practical filmmaking. (If your school is interested in participating in the festival please contact the organisers.)
So whether you've never been to a film festival before or have been to thousands there is something here for everyone, and if you have a suggestion for a future festival event the organisers would love to hear from you.
The Next Festival...
The next festival will take place in the Autumn of 2017 at the Thameside Theatre and entries will open early 2017. Updates will be posted here and on our social media.
