Watersprite International Student Film Festival aims to discover, showcase and nurture emerging young film making talent from around the world and to offer a springboard for the film makers of the future as they start their careers.
Screenings, talks by award winning industry professionals, panels and interactive events are free and open to all. Now in its 10th year, Watersprite 2019 has attracted over 1000 submissions from around 100 countries and, after two intensive rounds of judging, will be screening 26 nominated films at the Festival which runs from 7 – 10 March.
Full details are on www.watersprite.org.uk and to read more about Watersprite and the 2018 Festival, click here
Cambridge Film Festival celebrates film past, present and future, showcases new talent and brings film makers to the city for eight glorious days of screenings and events from 25 October to 1 November.
I met with Kayleigh Barnes, Marketing Co-ordinator at Cambridge Film Trust to find out more about this year’s Festival schedule. Every year (in what sounds to me like a really fabulous job!) the Festival programmers visit major international film festivals – think London, Cannes, Berlin and Venice. Their quest is to discover the best new films and documentaries out there and to bring a varied line up back to Cambridge, giving us a rare chance to see great films that we might otherwise miss.
Image credit: Cambridge Film Festival
Kayleigh and I talked about the diverse strands of programming that run alongside the main feature films and documentaries. The Family Film Festival offers daytime film screenings suitable for all ages, with linked children’s arts and crafts activities and a BAFTA workshop while the Short Film programme brings us shorts from around the world. For a film maker, having your work shown in this category is very prestigious indeed; in a lengthy selection process, hundreds of submissions are reviewed by a panel of film industry experts and each film is watched by three reviewers before a final forty films make the cut.
For fans of old movies, there’s a Silence and Sounds classics programme, screening vintage silent film with live musical accompaniment. Experimental film making is showcased in the Microcinema programme while the very popular Camera Catalonia screens a selection of the best Catalan films. Partnerships with the Cambridge African Film Festival and the Korean Cultural Centre enrich the Festival programme with contemporary films from across Africa and Korea.
Image credit: Cambridge Film Festival
Cambridge Film Trust, a charity founded to promote film culture and education in the East of England, runs this event under the leadership of Festival Director, Toby Jones. The Festival’s main venue is the Arts Picturehouse Cinema in St Andrew’s Street with screenings also being held at Emmanuel College just opposite and The Light Cinema at Cambridge Leisure Park.
Check out the Festival website where you’ll find the full programme of screenings and events and through which you can book tickets.
Well, Cambridge feels a little bit different now ….. there’s a nip in the morning air, the evenings are drawing in and the rhythm of the city changes as the students return. There’s plenty going on and I’ll update this listing through the month so do check back when you can.
Sunny autumn morning on the River Cam
5th 8pm Fresher Brass. A “Meet and Greet” concert with the City of Cambridge Brass Band. St Giles Church, Castle Street, CB3. Free entry.
6th 7.30pm The Fishermen. Mumford Theatre, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, CB1. http://www.anglia.ac.uk
18th 7pm Cambridge Breast Cancer Appeal Fashion Show. Grand Arcade, St Andrew’s Street, CB2. Tickets include welcome drink and canapes. http://www.cambridgebreastcancerappeal.com Read more here
19th 8pm The Choral Pilgrimage 2018. Music by Cornysh and Britten. The Sixteen. St John’s College Chapel. http://www.thesixteen.com
20th 11am – 4pm Volunteer for Cambridge. Free showcase for the diversity of volunteering opportunities in the city with around 90 organisations attending. Guildhall, Market Square, CB2. http://www.cambridge.gov.uk/volunteer-for-cambridge
20th 7.30pm Let there be Light. Charity concert for CBM UK, the overseas disability charity, showcasing local musicians and voices. St Paul’s Church, Hills Road, CB2. http://www.ticketsource.co.uk
22nd 1 – 3pm The Fitzwilliam Museum. Disability friendly opening. A relaxed afternoon aimed at children with sensory sensitivities along with their families, siblings and carers. Free entry but please book in advance. Trumpington Street, CB2. http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
23rd 11am – 5pm Tues – Sun. Richard Pousette-Dart: Beginnings. Abstract Expressionist. This exhibition runs until 6 January 2019. http://www.kettlesyard.co.uk
24th 7 – 10pm Plague Late. Part of the Cam Lates season. Get up close and personal with the past and present of the Plague. Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Downing Street, CB2. Book in advance. http://www.museums.cam.ac.uk
24 – 27th 7.30pm plus two matinees at 2.30pm. West Side Story. Cambridge Theatre Company. The Leys School, Fen Causeway, CB2. http://www.camtheatrecompany.co.uk
New in Cambridge 