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Oliver Stone has top billing at Leeds Beckett sponsored Film Festival
The festival which is now in its fifth year takes place between April and September. One of this year’s flagship events is a 30th anniversary screening of JFK followed by an exclusive discussion with the man who made it.
Festival Director, Adam Chandler, said:
“We are beyond thrilled to be welcoming Oliver Stone to the Harrogate Film Festival. JFK is an amazing piece of cinema that set a high bar for the political thrillers that followed it.”
The epic movie looks closely at the events surrounding the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy and the alleged cover-up through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney, Jim Garrison. It received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor.
Leeds Beckett University’s Northern Film School is one of the main sponsors of the event. Annabelle Pangborn, Director of the Northern Film School, said:
“We are thrilled to once again work with The Harrogate Film Festival following last year’s success. The partnership has already proved to be a wonderful platform for budding filmmakers to exhibit the latest in innovation across the industry as well as network with industry professionals. It’s also a great opportunity for us to showcase the talent here at the Northern Film School as we continue to help develop filmmakers of the future.”
This year’s festival has been curated to include a range of events offering something for people of all ages, from aspiring filmmakers to dedicated cinephiles. It has also been meticulously planned to make sure events can still take place within Covid-19 restrictions.
There will be a series of “mini festivals” spread out over six months instead of its usual 10-day run. Organisers hope this will enable some of the later events to take place face-to-face.
April 23 – 27 will see the return of the popular Independent Filmmakers competition, which will run online, alongside a virtual JFK screening and the showcase Oliver Stone interview, workshops, virtual experience events and the annual industry day.
Restrictions permitting, it’s hoped that June’s programme of immersive and experience events, quizzes, features films and competitions can all run face to face, in line with any social distancing guidelines in place at the time.
Adam continued:
"Since our 2020 festival, a lot has happened in the world. We have planned the 2021 festival to allow for a fully online event, holding events in person, or a combination of the two. We really hope that by running a full schedule of events we can help bring some normality and joy to film fans.
“Whatever the situation at the time, all events will be streamed online. The advantage of this is that we can welcome people from across the country – and indeed the world - to our screenings.”
Raworths Solicitors is also continuing its sponsorship of the festival.
Tickets for all events are available from the festival website.