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Bradford Film Festival Programme Announced

22nd February 2011

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At a press conference at the National Media Museum today, Artistic Director Tony Earnshaw announced the full programme details for the 17th Bradford International Film Festival (BIFF).

This year the Festival, which runs from 16 - 27 March will open with Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger starring Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Gemma Jones, Lucy Punch, Freida Pinto, Pauline Collins, Ewen Bremner and Anna Friel.

The Closing Night Gala will be the UK Premiere of Oren Moverman’s The Messenger starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton and Steve Buscemi.

The Festival will showcase more than 100 features from countries all over the world including France, Romania, Australia, USA, Argentina, Portugal and Japan.

A selection of horror films will be featured in the new strand introduced this year titled Bradford After Dark, an all-day mini 'fest within a fest' that focuses on some of the freshest goriest and shocking horror films on the circuit.

This new element is an exciting collaboration between BIFF and Celluloid Screams, Sheffield’s Horror Film Festival.

Films include the World premiere of Roadman, directed by Peter Leovic, Hobo with Shotgun starring Rutger Hauer, Mother’s Day directed by Darren Lynn (Saw II) Bousman, apocalyptic zombie shocker Stake Land directed by Jim Mickle, and Hammer’s Wake Wood directed by David Keating.

Uncharted States of America will return for the fifth year, bringing to audiences truly independent American cinema.

The selection this year, as ever, will deliver edgy, risky and genuinely low-budget gems and will recognise the work some of the successful directors previously featured in the strand by showcasing their latest movies.

Highlights include Aaron Katz’s Cold Weather, one of the most talked-about US independents of recent months, LiTTLEROCK from fellow 'Uncharted' veteran Mike Ott and Putty Hill directed by Matt Porterfield.

Now in its 18th year, the ever popular Widescreen Weekend continues to welcome all those fans of large format and widescreen films - CinemaScope, VistaVision, 70mm, Cinerama and IMAX - and presents an array of past classics from the vaults of the National Media Museum.

This year the work of Sir David Lean will be celebrated - thanks to the David Lean Foundation, three of his classics will be showcased: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.

Moviedrome returns, offering an array of premieres and previews of new cinema from around the world.

This year’s line-up includes Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams including a live satellite Q&A with Herzog, Oranges and Sunshine directed by Jim Loach, who will also be participating in a Screentalk Interview, 13 Assassins, directed by Takashi Miike, My Flesh My Blood, directed by Marcin Wrona and the UK Premiere of In The Shadows, directed by Thomas Arslan. Arslan, one of the rising stars of modern German cinema, will discuss his work in a Screentalk Interview, with a selection of his films being showcased during the Festival.

Along with Arslan, as previously announced, this year’s special guests attending BIFF will include maverick filmmaker Terry Gilliam and legendary actress Claire Bloom whose career has spanned 60 years. Both Gilliam’s and Ms. Bloom’s careers will be subject of a retrospective and Screentalk Interviews.

This year’s special events will include a screening of John. S. Robertson’s Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, starring the great John Barrymore, with live accompaniment on the Wurlitzer cinema organ by Richard Hills, and a screening of Cecil Hepworth’s Helen of Four Gates with piano accompaniment by Darius Battiwalla.

The Festival will also be part of a nationwide satellite broadcast of Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein, live from the National Theatre. The films of Jim Henson will be on offer at two special Family Film Funday weekends, featuring four of Henson’s classic kids’ films: The Great Muppet Caper, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and Muppet Treasure Island.

In celebration of Bradford’s status as the world’s first UNESCO City of Film, the Northern Showcase will provide an opportunity for audiences to see films made in their own back yard. Northern Showcase will host an array of independent productions from the North of England, drawing together writers, producers, directors and actors to discuss the challenges of making films and, crucially, getting them seen on completion.

Cricket, directed by Daniel Austin, Innocent Crimes, directed by Jonathan Green and the UK premiere of The Last Days of Edgar Harding, directed by Stephen Fox will be among the films on offer.

For the thirteenth year BIFF will give emerging directors an opportunity to compete for The Shine Short Film Award.

Introduced in 1998 to support innovation and originality this award goes to the best international short film selected from a shortlist by a jury of six.

Competing this year from Europe is A Gentle Push directed by Philippe Verkinderen, A Good Life directed by Rowan Athale, The Long Lonely Walk, directed by Leon Chambers, Nowhere Elsewhere directed by Annick Blanc, Paperman directed by Richard Kelly and Victims of Gravity directed by Vlady Oszkiel.

Tony Earnshaw, Artistic Director Bradford International Film Festival said; "Once again, Bradford delivers another punchy line-up.