Niki Bierton highlights some of the guest announcements coming from the Bradford International Film Festival
Running from the 19th to 29th April 2012, the Bradford International Film Festival is entering its 18th year, and this year is bigger and better! Not only is there the legendary Ray Winstone taking part in a Screentalk interview to give insight on his career, and Mark Kermode playing his double bass with his band the Dodge Brothers, we also have two other legendary figureheads in the film industry taking part in the festival celebrations. The first one is the one and only Barbara Windsor, famous for her role as Peggy in Eastenders and the classic ‘Carry On’ films of the 60s and 70s. Barbara will be in Bradford to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the festival, for her contribution to British cinema and television. Not only will the festival be showing many of her films, including her BAFTA nominated turn in Sparrars Can’t Sing (1963), the sweetheart herself will take part in the interview event ‘Screentalk’, where everything from her time at drama school to her turn on Eastenders will be discussed. This is one event throughout the entire festival that any fan of British cinema of the 60s and 70s should come to.
Barbara Windsor isn’t the only special guest during the festival, aside from two British legends such as Barbara and Ray, Oliver Assayas, the French director of such masterpieces as Irma Vep (1996) will be in attendance. Assayas will be receiving the Fellowship Award for his contribution to cinema; he started his career by writing, and then editing Cahiers du Cinema. Assayas brought attention to the cinema industry of Hong Kong, creating careers for the likes of Maggie Cheung, lead actress in Irma Vep. But not only are his films going to be shown throughout the festival, Assayas himself will be at the festival on the 25th April to take part in a Screentalk interview with the festival co-director Neil Young. Excited much?
The full line up of films being shown at the festival and other special events going on during the 19th – 29th April will be revealed in the coming weeks, and from the small preview we’ve been shown recently, excitement isn’t the word to describe how film fans should be feeling. All tickets for the individual film events go on sale on the 15th March, so put it in your diary, you won’t be disappointed.
For all information on the festival and to buy tickets when they go on sale, see BIFF’s website or contact the National Media Museum’s box office 0844 856 3797.
Niki Bierton is a filmmaker from Sheffield, currently living in Shipley. You can follow her on twitter: @thebierton
Mike McKenny is The Culture Vulture’s film editor. If you have any film related stories, articles, reviews with a twist, etc, contact him on mike.mckenny1983@gmail.com or find him on Twitter @DestroyApathy