Winter Gardens Film Festival 2019 - Programme

further events SATURDAY

Animated GIF Workshop - 10am - 3pm

Join Blackpool Museum Project & Living Pictures as we make funny animations using Blackpool’s amazing historic collections.

Casting Workshop - 12pm - 1pm, 2pm - 3pm, 4pm - 5pm Always wanted to try your hand at starring in a film? Have a go at audition exercises and take your first steps into the world of acting in Short Films.

Welcome to the

WINTER GARDENS FILM FESTIVAL 2019 Welcome to our celebration of black and white film, exploring a range of genres such as classic and contemporary drama, musicals, comedy, horror, silent film and event cinema. The main screenings take place in the magnificent Opera House, opened in 1939 as one of the most luxurious and sophisticated combination theatres and super cinemas of the pre-war period. You’ll find more screenings in the Grand Foyer as well as talks and exhibitions in the other Opera House rooms.

The festival is now in its fifth year and we are pleased to introduce some special events to the programme: •

• • • •

Take a Stand: We dedicate Sunday to those who make positive social change through activism and campaigning. Focusing on the ways that film can be used to promote fairness and inclusion, there will be discussions and workshops alongside the film programme.

Hands-on casting, film-making and editing workshops from B&FC School of Creative Arts & Digital Industries (beginners and intermediate level).

Director and Producer Q&A Sessions.

Premiere screening of ‘Britain on Film: Protest!’.

Say My Name/Guilty Feminist show on Sunday with special guest appearances from writer and comedian Deborah Frances-White (Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week) and Director Lisa Brenner.

The festival is a partnership project between the Winter Gardens Trust and Aunty Social CIC .

SupporteD BY

Basic filming Techniques Workshop - 1pm - 3pm Fancy yourself the next Steven Spielberg? This workshop will teach you all the basic skills you need to know to create great content. You’ll get hands on filming experience and a peek behind the scenes of what it really takes to work in the film industry.

Film Editing Workshop - 4:30pm - 5:30pm You’ve got the footage, what now? Come and learn some basic editing techniques to get you started on your creative journey.

Film and Colour - 12pm - 1pm Join us to discuss the use of colour in film, we will look at colour film technology, modern black and white fim and view clips from films old and new.

SUNDAY Short Film Showcase - 12pm - 2pm, Pavilion Come along to this scratch event where film makers ‘test’ out their new work on a live audience.

Split In Two - 2:00pm - 2:15pm Young People from HeadStart Blackpool present their short film about bullying and resilience.

1940s Tea Dance led by Vintage Rewind - 12:15pm - 5pm, Grand Foyer Step out in style at this FREE 1940s themed dance hosted by Vintage Rewind.

Take a Stand: World War II Talk - 2pm, Circle Annex Join Adrian Warrell as we look at the outbreak of World War II and how it affected working people on the home front.

The Craft of Colourisation - 4pm - 5pm, Circle Bar Author and colour historian Jordan J Lloyd shares the secrets of his craft, colourising images of iconic moments from history for organisations such as the BBC, Time Life, V&A and The Times.

winter Gardens

TICKETS

Take a look at the website for tickets and special offers.

Weekend wristbands

Wristband £45: Includes entry to all events, festival tote bag with a selection of goodies.

FILM

FESTIVAL Winter Gardens Film Festival

WGFilmFest

Winter Gardens, 97 Church St, Blackpool, FY1 1HL For ticket and booking information please visit *Programme subject to change

www.wintergardensfilm.co.uk

WGFilmFest

15 - 17 MARCH 2019

Showcasing the best of modern and classic black and white film Celebrating social activism ON FILM: challengING injustice TO create a fair and equal society.

FRIDAY

BLACKPOOL ON SCREEN

The Other Side With Valerie Hope (2018) & Sequins (2018)

RELAXED SCREENING

Jailhouse Rock (1957)

£4.00

3PM, OPERA HOUSE 1 HR 36 MINS, DIRECTOR: RICHARD THORPE, CERT: U Elvis Presley smouldering behind bars, in an ever-popular musical that includes a kickass dance number to the title track which is widely recognised as the King’s finest moment on film. This screening is open to all but it is specially adapted for people living with dementia and their families, friends and carers.

opening night

£4.50

1PM, OPERA HOUSE. VALERIE HOPE - DUR: 17 MINS DIR: LUCY BARRICK & KIERAN GRANT SEQUINS: DUR: 18 MINS | DIR: MICHAEL BEDDOES Followed by Q&A with directors Lucy Barrick and Michael Beddoes A double bill of two new short films recently shot on location in Blackpool.

The Other Side with Valerie Hope: When a washed-up psychic is kidnapped by a fan, it becomes clear that bothare hiding something.

Sequins: 17-year-old Paul’s journey of self-discovery takes a unique turn when he decides to become a drag queen, despite fear of ridicule from his peers and being ostracised by his family.

Sunday

TAKE A STAND DAY

Millions Like Us (1943)

£3.00

Britain on Film: Protest! (2018)

£3.00

PREMIERE 2:15PM, OPERA HOUSE, 1 HR 40 MINS The Independent Cinema Office presents the launch of a new collection of short films that explores the varied and fascinating history of public protest in the UK. Sourced from the national and regional archives and newly digitised, Britain on Film: Protest! tells a story about a tumultuous social, political and economic century and the constant, dynamic presence of public dissent and its effects as a weapon of change – at a time when raising our voices feels more essential than ever. Be the first to see these important films!

£5.00

2:30PM, PAVILION 1 HR 22 MINS, DIR: WANURI KAHIU, CERT: 12A With beautiful scenes connected through shades of fuchsia and violet, reflecting the femininity of the characters, this gentle film follows the development of love between two young women. Set against the backdrop of the bustling streets of Nairobi, the two very different girls must choose between love and safety surrounded by insular gossip, local politics and burgeoning maturity.

WORKING CLASS HEROES

A Taste of Honey (1961)

£10.00, £15.00, £20.00

That’s Entertainment (1974) DOORS OPEN 6:30PM, SCREENING STARTS 7PM, PARTY STARTS AT 9:15PM DURATION: 2HR 15 MINS, DIRECTOR: JACK HALEY JNR, CERT: U Join us for a night of Hollywood glamour as we celebrate the Film Festival’s 5th birthday and the Opera House’s 80th with a selection of iconic music and dance numbers from MGM’s greatest musicals and a swinging dance party.

A stellar line-up of on-screen hosts including Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, and Liza Minnelli, you’ll enjoy a variety of fabulous film clips in both color and black and white. Experience generous helpings of classic MGM musical numbers from iconic films such as Singin’ in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, An American in Paris and High Society.

£6.50

£5.00

FAMILY SCREENING: KIDS GO FREE

FREE

Buy one adult ticket, get up to 2 child tickets free.

6:30PM, GRAND FOYER Join us as we award the winners of our second Black and White Short Film Competition. We are delighted to have received submissions from across the globe, including films from Japan, Australia, Italy, Egypt, USA, Canada, Poland and Macedonia as well as the UK All shortlisted entries will be screened as part of this special event. All entries are competing to win Blackpool’s Golden Seagull Award with a cash prize of £500. There will be two additional awards: Runner Up and the People’s Choice Award.

Girl (2018)

£5.00

£10.00

£5.00

5:00PM, PAVILION, 1 HR 50 MINS, DIR: FRANK BORZAGE, CERT: PG Two short, silent, westerns from the very early days of Hollywood: The Pitch o Chance and The Pilgrim with live music score.

Luminary of American old-time country music and champion fiddler Kate Lissauer leads the trio of master musicians accompanying these extraordinary films on a variety of stringed instruments and percussion.

Say My Name (2018) & The Guilty Feminist

Die! Goldstein: Dystopia Utopia (2015)

8:30PM, OPERA HOUSE, 45 MINS, CERT: 12A Q&A in the bar afterwards Step into a beautiful and jarring cinematographic soundscape in this terrifying and experimental, post-rock experience.

An inspiring and encouraging live electronic music performance, accompanied by a collage of many deconstructed films from a variety of sources, charting the progress from dark and desperate dystopian states to an enlightened, utopian present.

NEW RELEASE 4:20PM, OPERA HOUSE 1 HR 49 MINS, DIR: LUKAS DHONT, CERT: 15 Lara is a 15-year-old girl, born in the body of a boy, who dreams of becoming a ballerina. This remarkably moving coming-of-age drama tackles the themes of identity and following the journey to become who you’re meant to be. Girl has received both strong criticism and praise on how Trans people are represented in the film.

Sonic Silents (1916)

LIVE MUSIC CINEMA

As always fancy dress is not essential but positively encouraged!

We have film festival goody bags for the top 5 best dressed.

£5.00

4:45PM, OPERA HOUSE DUR: 1HR 30MINS, DIR: PAWEL PAWLIKOWSKI LANGUAGE: FRENCH, POLISH (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) Starring Tomasz Kot as Wiktor a music director who falls in love with singer Zula played by Joanna Kulig. This is an epic romance set in the 1950s against the backdrop of Europe after World War II. Sumptuously shot in luminous black and white, it spans decades and nations to tell a love story that is as tragic as it is moving.

Film Competition Screening and Awards Presentation

SATURDAY 10:45AM, OPERA HOUSE 1HR 42 MINS, DIR: VICTOR FLEMING, CERT: U A timeless family musical and one of cinema’s much loved productions, young Dorothy Gale longing to escape black-and-white drudgery on a Kansas farm, for a life ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’.

During a dramatic tornado her wish comes true as she and her dog Toto are carried off into the sky to the magical land of Oz.

Rafiki (2018)

Cold War (2018)

Dance Party! Make sure that you wear your dancing shoes as we’re holding a 1940s dance party after the screening in the Grand Foyer. With entertainment from singer Aaron Whiteside, tap dancing from the cast of 42nd Street (Blackpool & Fylde Light Opera Company), live dance band the Billionaires and oodles of birthday cake!

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

2:30PM, OPERA HOUSE, DUR: 1 HR 40 MINS, DIR: TONY RICHARDSON, CERT: 12 Followed by Q&A with Senior Curator of Fiction, BFI National Archive and Cinema For All Patron Danny Leigh.

This gritty adaptation of Shelagh Delaney’s play fits the ‘kitchen sink drama’ description perfectly. In 1960s Salford, 17-year-old Jo has a brief relationship with a black sailor called Jimmy. After he’s sailed she realises she is pregnant, but Jo’s problems are only just beginning.

12:15PM, OPERA HOUSE 1 HR 43 MINS, DIR: FRANK LAUNDER, SIDNEY GILLIAT, CERT: U Step back in time to Britain in 1943 for this rare film about female factory workers during World War II. See how the war effort changed ordinary lives, dismantled old class prejudices and proved that the war would not just be won by ‘the few’ but through the sweat and hard work of ‘millions like us’. Why not join us after the film for a free 1940s tea dance in the Grand Foyer?

£8.00

7:00PM, OPERA HOUSE 1 HR 30 MINS, DIR: JAY STERN, CERT: 18 When a one-night stand gets interrupted by a robbery, two complete strangers are forced to navigate the seedy underbelly of a sleepy Welsh isle in order to get back their stolen property. Along the way, their opposite personalities and differing outlooks on life bring them to a boiling point. A new, fast-paced British comedy produced by and starring Lisa Brenner and written by Deborah Frances-White who will be joining us for a short Guilty Feminist featuring some great stand-up comedy and a discussion on ‘Say My Name’.