Press Release
Movies in the village hall
Contact:
Bill Laws 07742 825813;
Alison Chapman (images) 07969 393884
Date: 13th January 2008
Hereford and Shropshire's country lanes will bustle with first-night cinema goers in March when a dozen villages turn their parish halls into picture palaces. It's all in aid of Britainšs biggest rural film festival, Borderlines. As Brick Lane travels to Ewyas Harold (population 857) and European Film of the Year The Lives of Others goes to Brilley (pop. 235), Margaret Oke and Cecibel Egan prepare Garway (pop. 396) for the premiere of Cannes Prize winner The Band's Visit.
"We may not have a slick auditorium with wrap around sound, but it's comfortable - people bring their own cushions; some even bring their own loungers - and there's tea and home-made cakes to follow the film," explains Margaret. "It's a real community event."
The springtime Festival runs from March 28 for almost three weeks.
With past support from the likes of Jo Brand, Monty Don, Sophie Fiennes, Stephen Frears (The Queen) and former Film Night front man Barry Norman, Borderlines has partnered with Flicks in The Sticks, a rural film circuit - and a concept borrowed by the Archers' script writers.
So, although focused on the Hereford and Ludlow arts centers which will show 30 contemporary films and host events like their Great European Directors season, a further 40 screenings happen in the heart of the country, in market towns and village halls.
Borderlines is a regional festival: two thirds of the tickets sell to local audiences. But in recent years B&B bookings have risen as urban folk head for the borders for a weekend of world cinema in the unlikely surroundings of a parish hall.
As film enthusiast Kathy Gray puts it: "Borderlines gives you a taste of that communal movie-going experience where the projectionist takes your ticket and makes the tea."
David Gillam is Festival Director: "It's a bit like the Hay Festival - no-one knew what to make of us when we started. But a combination of contemporary cinema and friendly rural ambience brought in an audience of around 10,000 last year."
Ends
Notes to editors.
- Borderlines runs from March 28th and to April 12th 2008.
- Picture captions: Cecibel Egan prepares for a Borderlines premiere in Garway Village Hall; Post mortem: Garway villagers discuss the movie after a screening in the village hall.
- Press queries? Call Alison Chapman on 07969 393884, David Gillam on 01239 615066 or Bill Laws 07742 825 813 or email info@borderlinesfilmfestival.co.uk.