I am absolutely delighted to welcome you to the eleventh annual Southend-on-Sea Film Festival. From its humble beginnings, back in 2009, this has grown to be the largest in Essex. I am immensely proud of what has been achieved.

As usual, we will be aiming to entice all members of the film-going public, from the youngest to the more mature. For the former, we are introducing Family Friendly Cinema, where Under 14s go free, when accompanied by a ticket-purchasing adult. So look out for these shows and give the kids a treat! At the other end of the spectrum, our more mature patrons are well catered for on Friday, in particular, when the likes of Fred Astaire, Margaret Rutherford and Gordon Harker will bring back the glory days of the 30s and 50s.

I am also delighted to showcase our local filmmakers. You will find their work dotted throughout the programme, including our Opening Gala, Under the Radar , a wonderful documentary about one of Southend’s favourite ‘sons’, Mike Edmonds, and our Closing Gala presentation of short films which have taken our town as their starting point. We also have the usual World Cinema presentations and a raft of fascinating documentaries and heritage events.      

 
Of course, none of this would be possible without the support that you, and our sponsors, provide, and I thank you all most sincerely.
The Festival Team and I look forward to welcoming you to the Southend-on-Sea Film Festival.

Paul Cotgrove : Festival Director
 

festival guests

In addition to the celebrities and guests who will be joining us for the Opening Gala we will also be welcoming the following very special guests to this year’s festival: