Cambridge Film Festival is set to go ahead in person this year between 18th - 25th November at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, followed by an extended online programme. As ever, the hugely popular Festival presents a diverse programme of over 40 films that promise to attract audiences of all ages and tastes. It includes UK premieres of new features, classic retrospectives, insightful documentaries, discovery titles from the global stage, family favourites, an eclectic array of short films, and several international film festival winners.
The Festival has also launched an exciting new Friends and Patrons scheme for everyone who is passionate about film or cinema, and keen to support culture in the region. There are three levels of involvement: Friend of CFF, VistaVision Patron and Cinemascope Patron. The range of benefits are many and include advance notification of events, special invitations to film events, recognition of support in marketing materials, online and on-screen prior to films, invitation to the opening night Gala, an invitation to a private Patron’s dinner, and an opportunity to get fundamentally involved in the future direction and growth of the Cambridge Film Festival.
Commenting on the launch of the new scheme, Elena Shampanova, Cambridge Film Festival Friends and Patrons Coordinator, said: “As for all artists and arts organisations, the last year was not easy. Alongside announcing the dates for the 2021 Festival, we are delighted to launch our Friends and Patrons scheme. We're asking those people who love the Cambridge Film Festival to consider becoming ‘Friends of the Festival’ as their support is vital in sustaining CFF, and our year-round education and outreach work.”
The Cambridge Film Festival at Home initiative also continues in June with further online film events, and a pay-what-you-can-afford pricing structure:
4-6 June: The popular online version of the ‘A Film I Love…’ series also continues with writer, film programmer, creative producer, host and broadcaster, Anna Bogutskaya. Anna previously worked at Pedro Almodovar’s El Deseo and was the Film and Events Programmer at the BFI, where she created the Woman With A Movie Camera Summit. Currently, Anna is the Festival Director of Underwire Festival, host of The Final Girls and The Next Supremes podcasts, and co-founder of horror film collective The Final Girls.
During her ‘A Film I Love…’ interview, Anna discusses Pedro Almodóvar’s 1999 classic ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (pictured), starring Penélope Cruz, Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes and Candela Peña.
A commercial and critical success internationally, winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in addition to the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Awards for Best Film Not in the English Language and Best Direction (Almodóvar). The film also won 6 Goya Awards including Best Film, Best Director (Almodóvar), Best Actress (Roth).
‘Supremely confident black comedy, for which Pedro Almodóvar won the Best Director award at Cannes.’ Guardian
‘This film has always stood out to me within the Almodóvar canon as his first earnestly dramatic film.’ Rogerebert.com
‘This funny, sad and emotionally generous movie is about love, parenthood, friendship and loyalty, about life, art and acting roles, about re-creating oneself according to one’s dreams, and about what, if anything, is truly natural. All the performances are excellent, and the picture is immaculately designed in a manner recalling Douglas Sirk’s work at Universal in the 50s.’ Guardian
18-24 June: Mathieu Kassovitz’s cult classic LA HAINE (1995) is set to screen as part of the ‘Rewind’ season, a look back at some of the greatest films from Cambridge Film Festival prior to the Festival’s 40th anniversary in November.
Released to both acclaim and consternation at home (it won best director at Cannes but was protested by police for its perceived anti police narrative), LA HAINE quickly went on to achieve cult cinema status around the world and made a star of its lead Vincent Cassel. La Haine is gritty and funny, unsettling, and beautiful and is as vital today as when it was released in 1995.
Centring on Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Hubert (Hubert Koundé), and Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui) a Jew, an African, and an Arab, who are the personifications of France’s immigrant populations, as they aimlessly pass their days among the concrete and poverty of the banlieue districts on Paris, and their resentment at their situation builds to a cinematic crescendo. LA HAINE spearheaded a wave of films about the banlieues and opened the door to a new genre of French films among which it remains legendary.
Film events can be viewed via the CFF at Home screening room.
Information about all aspects of the Cambridge Film Festival can be found at: camfilmfest.com
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CFF at Home is made possible by BFI’s Film Audience Network, with the support of The National Lottery.
Cambridge Film Festival’s Principal partners: TTP & Studio 24.
Cambridge Film Festival is presented by Cambridge Film Trust, a registered charity with a mission to foster and promote film culture and education for the benefit of people in Cambridge, the East of England and throughout the UK.
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