Hampshire Now - your County Council magazine

Film Hampshire launches Winchester Film Festival

Tuesday, 12 March 2013

Now in its fifth year, The Winchester Film Festival is screening a mix of classic and contemporary films between 4-13 April across Winchester and Eastleigh and will be donating proceeds to Winchester Youth Counselling, a free and confidential counselling service for anyone aged 11 to 25 who lives in the Winchester district.

Films on show in Winchester this year include Billy Wilder's courtroom classic 'Witness For The Prosecution' in the Great Hall, George Cukor's 1939 high society romp 'The Women' in L.K. Bennett on the High Street, the stunningly restored epic 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' at the Army Cadet Force HQ, Hitchcock's mystery thriller 'Stage Fright' at the Theatre Royal and, in the Chesil Tunnel, Carol Reed's 'The Third Man' and Carlo Ledesma's shocker 'The Tunnel'.

In Eastleigh, there will be screenings of Ron Howard's blistering blockbuster 'Backdraft' at the Hampshire Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Headquarters and J Blakeson's modern kidnap thriller 'The Disappearance of Alice Creed' in the barred-windowed room at The Sorting Office. In addition to donations to Winchester Youth Counselling, 50% of the proceeds from the Backdraft screening are going to The Fire Fighters Charity.

Festival organiser, Christian Francis from the University of Winchester said:

"As always, our aim is to screen great films in atmospheric and often unusual places in and around the City and District of Winchester. Each year we strive to find new and interesting locations that provide the perfect settings in which you can re-discover classic films, or even catch them for the first time!"

Councillor Ray Ellis, Executive Member for Economic Development and Rural Affairs said:

"I'm delighted that the County Council's Film Hampshire is sponsoring the launch of this event for the third year running as the festival brings such a wide range of films to Winchester and Eastleigh. Film Hampshire actively promotes filming in Hampshire by providing film production companies with shoot locations. 2013 is an exciting year for filming in Hampshire, with Les Misérables (shot partly at Winchester College and Portsmouth Naval Base) already released and more blockbuster productions in the pipeline. It is also great to support a local charity and bring film screenings to unusual locations."

The festival is a non-profit event organised by The School of Media and Film at the University of Winchester and sponsored by Hampshire County Council.

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