Cheltenham International Film Festival

CHELTENHAM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – 2020
Honorary Patron – Simon Pegg

The Cheltenham International Film Festival (CIFF) is one of the high profile international arts festivals for which the town is recognised around the world; attracting audiences from near and far in the tens of thousands.

At its core, the Festival screens films in and out of competition. Films in competition include features, shorts, narrative and documentary from emerging filmmakers. The film festival jury is comprised of leading figures from film, entertainment and the media: Ged Doherty, President of the Brit awards and co-founder of Raindog Films with the Oscar-winning actor, Colin Firth; the festival directors of Sochi and Göttingen International Film Festivals, Luba Balagova and Oliver Clark; leading film/tv agent, Sara Putt; BAFTA-winning director, Esther May Campbell; award-winning script writer, Maurice Gran, the popular British entertainer, Dom Joly, and BBC reporter, Steve Knibbs.

As well as screening the work of emerging filmmakers, the Festival pays tribute to celebrated directors, who were once emerging filmmakers, and whose body of work has contributed to the legacy of great cinema. In 2019, the Festival welcomed one of cinema’s great directors, Mike Leigh, and screened two of his early films. In 2020, the Festival will welcome and pay tribute to the multi-award nominated/winning director, Stephen Frears.

The Festival wishes to be known as a meeting place for filmmakers and audience to share ideas, opinions and opportunities. In 2019, among others, the Festival welcomed Josie Rourke director of Mary Queen of Scots, the legendary Steven Berkoff and Carl Hunter, whose first film, Sometimes Always Never, starring Bill Nighy, opened the Festival

Another popular strand to the Festival’s varied programme of film screenings is the “Country in Focus”. In 2019, the Country in Focus was Poland, and the organisers had the opportunity to welcome the Polish director, Jan Komasa, nominated for an Oscar in 2020.

In 2020, our Country in Focus is Italy; and there will be a special tribute to mark the centenary birth of Federico Fellini. We are awaiting final confirmation from Sandra Milo, one of Fellini’s favourite actresses, who has agreed to come to the Festival in May.

We also plan to welcome the celebrated and award-winning film producer, Stephen Woolley, and other film industry figures of note, including Jan Komasa, again, and the Festival’s Honorary Patron, Simon Pegg – both are dependent on filming schedules.

As well as film screenings, the Festival organises Master Classes in the arts & crafts of filmmaking and the business of film production under the brand Open Call. Open Call is open to all from students of film to members of the public looking for a peek behind the scenes to see how films are made. In 2019, we were fortunate to have attracted good audiences to classes conducted by celebrated figures such as cinematographer, Piotr Sobocinski Jr, who flew in from Poland, Rich Warren, Director of Encounters Film Festival and leading film, award-winning film producers, Phil Hunt and Gail Egan.

In 2020, we have the Oscar-nominated film composer, Gary Yershon, cinematographer, David Mackie, FilmBath Director, Holly Tarquini and leading film and television agent, Sara Putt of Sara Putt Associates coming to do Master Classes. And, new this year is the launch of the Cheltenham Youth International Film Festival – reaching out to under-represented members of the community via film and film-related events (workshops) to generate interest in the culture of cinema and the art of film.

The Festival also hosts the usual opening and closing night parties and invites attendees to ‘hang out’ at any number of the town’s well-known bars, cafes and restaurants.

Cheltenham:
Cheltenham is synonymous with arts festivals starting with Performing Arts (1926), Music (1945), Literary (1949), Jazz (1996), Poetry (2011) and Film (2019). Through the decades, the world’s leading filmmakers, actors, musicians, writers, artists, poets and respected figures from politics, science and even astronauts have come to Cheltenham: Mike Leigh, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dame Judy Dench, Bill Nighy, Roger Daltrey, David Attenborough, Prince Charles, Salman Rushdie, Van Morrison, Hilary Clinton, Michael Palin and Bob Geldof, among them. And, most recently, former British Prime Minister, David Cameron and the singer, Debbie Harry.

The Film Festival complements a full schedule of arts festivals in 2020 starting with the Poetry Festival at the end of April, through to the Jazz Festival 5th – 10th May; the International Film Festival on 26th May – 1st June; the Music Festival from 3rd – 12th July and concludes with the Literature Festival from 2nd – 11th October.