Keswick Film Festival

Q&As

Intros, talks, discussions...

The chance to mingle with and ask questions of directors, producers and actors has long been a feature of Keswick Film Festival.

We welcome back Tony Britten who opens the Festival again with his latest film ChickLit; director Rayna Campbell and crew members from Lapse of Honour will be attending along with Helen Walsh who directed The Violators. Tom Allen, whose film Janapar was such a hit at the 2015 Festival will be here this year with two films.

Simon Hughes is a Special Effects Supervisor who has worked on movies as diverse as Everest, Suffragette and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. He will be revealing some of the tricks of his trade in a special event for the Festival on Saturday.

Featuring

Thursday 25th February 7:00 PM - Alhambra
ChickLit
Tony Britten (2016) UK 93 mins 12A

Tony Britten (In Love with Alma Cogan) returns to Keswick with his latest film ChickLit.

"Four men, one girl and a mission ..."
Four guys set out to save their local pub by writing a mummy porn novel but someone needs to own up to being the author.

Meet Zoe – an out-of-work actress who takes on the role with gusto leaving our four heroes with the appalling but hilarious prospect of having to churn out erotic novels for the foreseeable future.

A fantastic ensemble cast including Christian McKay, Dakota Blue Richards, Dame Eileen Atkins, Caroline Catz, James Wilby, Niamh Cusack, David Troughton, Miles Jupp, Cathy Tyson, Tom Palmer and of course, Sir John Hurt, ChickLit will raise a smile and a smirk to open KFF 2016.

Friday 26th February 6:00 PM - Alhambra
The Violators
Helen Walsh (2015) UK 97 mins 18

The potency and fragility of adolescent desire is played out in this striking debut from British novelist Helen Walsh. Based in Birkenhead, Shelly (Lauren McQueen) and Rachael (Brogan Ellis) come from differing backgrounds but both find themselves intertwined with a predatory pawn broker - Mikey (Stephen Lord). Adding to an already intense subject matter, Walsh's use of voyeuristic camera-shots bring the viewer closer to the challenges afflicting these girls.

Helen Walsh will attend the screening and host a Q&A afterwards.

Saturday 27th February 10:00 AM - Theatre By The Lake
This Changes Everything
Avi Lewis (2014) Denmark 89 mins PG

This Changes Everything is an epic attempt to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change. Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Klein's international non-fiction bestseller, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana's Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond.

Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Klein's narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. Throughout the film, Klein builds to her most controversial and exciting idea: that we can seize the existential crisis of climate change to transform our failed economic system into something radically better.

Unlike many works about the climate crisis, this is not a film that tries to scare the audience into action: it aims to empower. This Changes Everything will leave you refreshed and inspired, reflecting on the ties between us, the kind of lives we really want, and why the climate crisis is at the centre of it all.

This event will be followed by a Q&A with Hazel Graham, Cumbria Action for Sustainability
Thanks to FilmBuff.

Saturday 27th February 4:00 PM - Theatre By The Lake
The Closer We Get
Karen Guthrie (2015) UK 91 mins PG

Described by Mark Kermode as "a poignant examination of the bonds of family love", The Closer We Get is a remarkable documentary film from Karen Guthrie.

Kermode continues, "When her mother is debilitated by a stroke, Karen and her siblings rally round, joined by father, Ian, who left them years ago, but who has remained a powerful presence/absence. Unravelling the complex strands of their home life takes Karen from Scotland to Africa, wondering how she managed to go so long without asking 'how exactly did we get here?'".

We hope that Karen Guthrie will be able to attend the screening and talk about this remarkable film.

Saturday 27th February 7:00 PM - Theatre By The Lake
Lapse of Honour
Rayna Campbell (2015) UK 100 mins 15

The tagline for Lapse of Honour, "In M15, it’s the battle of the fittest", sets the tone for a gritty urban drama. Based in Manchester's Moss Side, the film follows Eve's determination to become a grime artist and her partner Tom's (Tom Collins) enthusiasm to study graphic design. However, in order to leave the drug and gang culture of Moss Side behind, they must first battle to overcome their home lives. It is the first feature of Rayna Campbell and is also a must see for fans of the MOBO nominated rapper Lady Leshurr (Eve) who makes a seamless move into film.

Lapse of Honour will be followed by a Q&A with Rayna Campbell.

Sunday 28th February 10:00 AM - Alhambra
On the Side of the Road
Lia Tarachanski (2013) Israel 82 mins PG

On the Side of the Road is an Israeli documentary film written and directed by Lia Tarachansky. The film focuses on Israeli collective denial of the events of 1948 that led to the country's independence and the Palestinian Refugee problem. It follows war veterans Tikva Honig-Parnass and Amnon Noiman as they tackle their denial of their actions in the war. The film also tells the story of its director, Tarachansky, who grew up in a settlement in the West Bank but as an adult began to realize the problems of the Israeli Occupation for the Palestinians.

According to the film's director, the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948 remains a taboo in Israeli society. In an interview with Frank Barat she said, "The strongest element of Israeli DNA is knowing what questions you cannot ask."

The film was shot over the course of five years and premiered at the First International Independent Film Festival in Tel Aviv.

Thanks to Lia Tarachansky.

With a discussion lead by Avi Levi.

Avi Levi is an ex-Israeli peace and environment activist. He completed his master MA in Peace Studies at The University Of Bradford as a Rotary Peace Fellow in 2013. Back in Israel he led a Fair Trade support project with Palestinian farmers. Avi has worked with Eitan Bronshtein, the founder of Zochrot who is one of the main characters in On the Side of the Road as a facilitator of educational workshops to Israeli and Palestinian youth in Wahat Eal Salam - Neve Shalom. Currently lives with his wife and two children in a housing cooperative in Leeds.

Sunday 28th February 12:30 PM - Alhambra
Karun
Tom Allen (2015) UK 57 mins PG

From the director of the very successful Janapur last year, British adventurers Tom Allen and Leon McCarron set out to follow Iran's longest river, the Karun, by human-powered means. Their aim is to go beyond the politics and explore the culture and geography of this most misunderstood of nations – and have a great adventure doing so. But despite Tom's previous experience of travel in Iran, they find that cultural differences run deeper than they’d realised. And when the once-calm waters of the Karun turn nasty, they wonder if they've bitten off more than they can chew...

Tom Allen will be attending this screening.

Sunday 28th February 2:10 PM - Alhambra
The Last Explorers on the Rio Santa Cruz
Tom Allen (2016) UK 52 mins TBC

In November 2014, filmmakers Leon McCarron and Tom Allen (director of the successful Janapur screened last year) set off for Patagonia to follow the Santa Cruz river across Argentina.

Their journey reflected on the past - using the diaries of Robert FitzRoy and Charles Darwin as inspiration for the expedition - yet also, crucially, it explored the uncertain future of the Rio Santa Cruz.

Now two huge dams are due to be built on the river and it seems clear that they will drastically affect the natural ecosystem, and some predict that construction could affect the level of Lake Argentina - the river's source - and therefore become a threat to the iconic Perito Moreno glacier.

Tom Allen will be attending this screening.



Supported by Film Hub North, led by Showroom Workstation. Proud to be part of the BFI Film Audience Network

Film Hub North BFI Film Audience Network