3rd May - 7th May Festival Fringe 30th April - 9th May
To celebrate the third Southend-on-Sea Film Festival our Opening Gala was a 30th anniversary presentation of iconic British gangster film The Long Good Friday, starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. We were joined by producer Barry Hanson, writer Barrie Keeffe and stars P. H. Moriarty, Paul Barber, Kevin McNally, Karl Howman and Gillian Taylforth (and her sister Kim). Our patron, Ray Winstone, was also on hand. Screenings during the festival included The Ballad of Mott the Hoople, Taylor Made: My Life in Lights, Grave Tales, Do Elephants Pray?, Room 36 and its companion documentary Room 36: Eleven Years in the Making, Never Take Sweets from a Stranger and Day of the Triffids. As ever, many of these screenings and events were supported by actors and filmmakers.
Our Closing Gala was a special screening of the new British comedy Being Sold, with the actors and filmmakers joining us for this wonderful occasion.
The second Southend-on-Sea Film Festival was opened by the powerful drama Fathers of Girls. Star Ray Winstone and directors Karl Howman and Ethem Cetintas, together with many others from the film, were our special guests at the Opening Gala. Special screenings during the festival included Oil City Confidential, Witchfinder General, The Birdbrook Ghost Hunt, The Devil’s Music and Morris: A Life with Bells, with many of the filmmakers and actors joining us to introduce their films. The festival closed with a special screening of the gritty police drama SUS, with cast and crew in attendance.
After the festival, Ray Winstone generously agreed to become our Patron.
This was the very first Southend-on-Sea Film Festival. Our Opening Gala was the premiere of the acclaimed urban drama Shifty, with many of the cast and crew in attendance. Other highlights included Q&As by guests such as Cass Pennant (Cass), Jim Groom (Room 36) and the cast and crew from Special People, short films from South East Film Makers, archive footage in Southend Past as well as favourites such as Mamma Mia!, Time Bandits and Singin’ in the Rain.
