Most successful yet – the third Chiswick In Film festival

Images: George MacKay talking to Andrea Carnevali at the Chiswick In Film festival

Going over the top

I think we’re chalking the third Chiswick In Film festival up as a big success. “You would say that, wouldn’t you,” I hear you say, as I am one of the organisers, but I think the claim is borne out out by a packed cinema full of happy-looking people and some of the lovely comments we received from those who came.

Lovely to listen to actor, local boy made good, George MacKay – so down to earth and un-starry, despite his success – talking about his craft with such enthusiasm and interest in the technical side of things, I would lay odds he will be one of those actors who eventually becomes a director.

Image: George Mackay in 1917 – photograph IMDb 

1917 is one of those films which really should be watched on a big screen, and it was great to have that opportunity on Friday (15 November), it is such a moving film.

Hearing his tales about the filming was really interesting – how he and his co-lead Dean-Charles Chapman started each day with boot camp to be fit enough to take on such physically demanding parts; how he got knocked over while running against the tide of men ‘going over the top’ into no man’s land (which wasn’t scripted but they realised should have been); how the trenches had to be built to the length of the time it would take them to run from one end to the other because it was all filmed as one shot and timed with minute precision.

Image: It was only mildly embarrassing that I was still sobbing when I was called over to meet him and take photographs at the end of the film! Photograph Roger Green

A comment from a member of the audience:

“The insight provided by George MacKay following the 1917 screening was fantastic and really added a deeper layer to the experience. Understanding how the film was made allowed me to take away more from the film and I’m grateful for the Chiswick In Film Festival team for putting on such a fabulous weekend.”

READ ALSO: George MacKay comes to the Chiswick In Film Festival

Images: People had come over from Malaysia to meet George MacKay and hear him talk about the film; George signing autographs

The Chiswick ‘International’ Film Festival

Spotted among the postcards on the board – a message from two girls who had come over from Malaysia to see George MacKay.

Participants in the big reunion of the Lord of the Flies child actors talking about it on Sunday night dialled in to take part via satellite link from Australia and the United States.

Meanwhile the American film director, producer, and screenwriter James Ivory, co-creator of Merchant Ivory Productions, had come over from New York.

We took the opportunity to make the screening of Howard’s End on Saturday night the first of a retrospective series of ten films which we have called: ‘Here is where the Sky is Blue’, (a quote from Denholm Elliott’s character Mr Emerson in A Room with a View), to be screened at Chiswick Cinema over the next 12 months, for which we recorded introductory interviews with him on Saturday.

Image: James Ivory with Bridget Osborne; Photograph Can Mehmethanoglu

Meeting a legend

Chiswick resident Christina Balmer told The Chiswick Calendar James Ivory was partly responsible for her decision to become an actress.

“I was 15 when A Room with a View came out in 1985 and it had an enormous impact on me. I probably spent that whole summer imagining I was Lucy Honeychurch.

“It evokes not just the sights, sounds and smells, the colours and the light, but the romance and the lives of all those characters so beautifully, it ignited the imagination and it showed me what it is possible to do in a film. It absolutely inspired me.

“What an honour to have James Ivory come here. It has made me aware and more curious about his other films I didn’t know about. We have to cherish people like James Ivory.”

Images: Audience for the Q&A with James Ivory; James Ivory and Bridget Osborne, editor of The Chiswick Calendar; Photographs Can Mehmethanoglu

The link between James Ivory and Chiswick is the novels of EM Forster. The Edwardian novelist lived in Chiswick for more than 30 years and there is a blue plaque on his flat in Arlington Park Mansions, overlooking Turnham Green, to celebrate his presence here.

James Ivory’s production company Merchant Ivory, which he established with his long-term business and life partner Ismail Merchant, turned three of Forster’s novels into films: Howards End (1992), A Room with a View (1985), and Maurice (1987), as well as the American author Henry James’ books The Europeans (1979) and The Bostonians (1984), of a similar period and style.

Images: Audience for the Q&A with James Ivory; James Ivory; Photographs Can Mehmethanoglu

George Westwood, in his twenties, told us:

“Howards End was brilliant! It wasn’t a film that I had seen before. It’s so refreshing to have a cinema on our doorstep putting on a wide-range of screenings. During the weekend I saw Howards End, 1917 and Gladiator II – a real mix of films.”

Image: L to R – Andrea Carnevali, Chris Parker, James Ivory, Bridget Osborne; Photograph Can Mehmethanoglu

Another audience member wrote:

‘As a huge Merchant Ivory fan from the earliest days, I want to thank you for last night’s Q&A with James Ivory, it was great. I’m also really excited about the forthcoming season of their films. Some of my all time favourites are there, such as Shakespeare Wallah and Heat and Dust. We are so spoilt to have this great cinema on our doorstep!’

Images: What blockbuster film weekend combined with a home grown film festival would not be without a foyer full of dogs? Photographs Can Mehmethanoglu

What’s with the dogs?

The Calendar Girls were a bit bemused to find dogs in the foyer. The ‘girls’, three of the original women on whose story the film was based, now in their seventies, came down from Yorkshire to take part in a panel discussion with the film’s producer Suzanne Mackie and writer Tim Firth to mark the film’s 21st birthday.

“Is that usual down here?” asked Angela Baker (Annie Clarke in the film, played by Julie Walters).

The audience members I spoke to found them very entertaining and beguiling.

“It’s so nice to hear that they remembered the filming with real affection. Some of them are still in touch with the actresses who played them,” one of the audience members told us.

Image: Three of the original Calendar Girls: Angela Baker, Tricia Stewart and Christine Clancy, at Chiswick Cinema for the Chiswick In Film Festival; Photograph Roger Green

Initially the actesses (Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Annette Crosbie, Linda Bassett), did not want to meet the real women they were playing, but Angela told the audience Julie Walters phoned her and came to tea the next day, and then they all met the women they were playing and all met up together.

She said seeing the film again on the big screen after all this time brought back memories of the events that changed her life more than two decades ago, very strongly.

Her husband John died of a type of blood cancer and the members of the local WI made the naked calendar originally to raise the money to buy a sofa for the visitors’ lounge in the hospital where he was being treated. In the end they raised millions of pounds, went to America to be feted on television chat shows, fell out, made friends again, and have carried on raising money for Blood Cancer UK ever since.

Image: Pictured at the Chiswick Cinema at a Q&A after a screening of Calendar Girls (L-R) Jo Coburn (chair); Angela Baker, Christine Clancy and Tricia Stewart (whose stories were told in the film); producer Suzanne Mackie (Misbehaviour, The Crown) and writer Tim Firth (Kinky Boots, Greatest Days).

Chiswick resident Suzanne had read a small story about them in a newspaper and had immediately seen the potential for a film.

“It has been a big part of my life,” she said.

When they played it at the Cannes Film Festival she overheard someone say: “Well that’s a hit,” and so it was, winning Best Comedy Film in the British Comedy awards and attracting a clutch of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress nominations for Helen Mirren and Julie Walters.

READ ALSO: Meet the real Calendar Girls at the Chiswick In Film Festival

Image: Mark Burton showing the audience how animated films are made; Madadgascar – photograph IMDb

Striking up conversation in the bar

BBC Politics Live presenter Jo Coburn, who chaired the Calendar Girls panel, is a big film buff. She got chatting in the bar to Mark Burton, writer of Paddington in Peru, Madagascar and the latest Wallace & Gromit, and a new mutual appreciation society was formed.

Mark gave a talk with fellow scriptwriter Rob Sprackling about how animation films are made, after a screening of Madagascar on Saturday. Rob said:

“We were lucky to have Mark Burton, probably the top animation writer in the world today, visit us to talk about his film, Madagascar. The audience for the movie were a mix of young families and animation students but all enjoyed hearing of Mark’s experiences in Hollywood, including writing the new Paddington and Wallace and Gromit movies, to writing and directing the Oscar nominated Shaun the Sheep.

“Mark shared previously unseen storyboards and early character designs from some of his films, explaining how the process of animation works, which was illuminating for kids and adults alike. An inspiring and entertaining talk from a master in his field.”

READ ALSO: Mark Burton, writer of Paddington in Peru, Madagascar and the latest Wallace & Gromit comes to the Chiswick In Film festival

Images: Valerie Leon in Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb – photograph IMDb; Valerie signing the Chiswick In Film Festival poster  – photograph Roger Green

90 Years of Hammer Horror

People came from Cardiff and Glasgow to see Valerie Leon, another Chiswick resident, talking about Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb. The glamorous star, now in her eighties, talked about her lead role in the film and said how grateful she was to have had the opportunity to take part in two James Bond films, and the Carry On films as well as a Hammer Horror film – the three big names in British films of the period.

Dawn, who lives locally, told us she used to stay up late as a teenager, watching Hammer Horror films on television with her father, so for her seeing Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb and listening to Valerie Leon talking about it was a nostalgic trip.

“I think there were lots of people there for nostalgic reasons”, she said.

READ ALSO: Ninety years of Hammer Horror

Image: The Hunt for Gollum; Photograph IMDb

The most successful fan film

It was interesting to hear the makers of the fan film The Hunt for Gollum talk about the troubles they had had once Warner Brothers and Peter Jackson had decided to make their own version of the story.

The Hunt for Gollum was developed from a reference in the appendices to Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings. Gandalf, the good wizard, fears Gollum may reveal information about the One Ring to Sauron, the bad wizard, and sends the ranger Aragorn on a quest to find him.

Director Chris Bouchard and editor Lewis Albrow, who lives locally, made their fan film for less than £3,000, shooting it in North Wales, Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath.

It was made 15 years ago and very quickly became very popular online (14 million views and 9,357 comments at time of writing). Once it was announced that Warner Brothers and Peter Jackson would be making a version of the same story, Lewis told the audience, it suddenly disappeared off YouTube.

It is now back, with a long disclaimer explaining it is a non-profit film for private use only, which is why at the festival it was screened for free.

You can watch it here: The Hunt for Gollum.

Image: Torin Douglas talks to Lord of the Flies child actors Simon Surtees, (on the stage) from Chiswick,  Kent Fletcher and Tom Gaman in the United States, Nicholas Hammond in Australia and Nick Valkenburg; Photograph by Roger Green

The reunion

Much to the cinema’s amazement the satellite links worked and we were able to bring together five of the child actors from the 1963 film Lord of the Flies, interviewed by Torin Douglas.

Chiswick resident Simon Surtees, who with his brother David played two of the younger boys, identical twins Sam and Eric, had kept in touch with Tom Gaman, who played Simon, and Kent Fletcher, who played Percival, from the United States, and Nicholas Hammond, who played quite a small part as one of the choir boys, but went on to have a very successful career as an adult actor. Nicholas joined the reunion from Australia.

“The reunion Q&A went better than we ever hoped,” said Torin. “Simon and I feared we might have to do the interview on our own but the technology worked well and three cast members joined us on screen from the United States and one from Australia – the actor Nicholas Hammond, who appeared in the Sound of Music, Spider-Man on TV and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.

“The audience loved the fact that they all seemed very happy to be there and to reminisce. They had some great anecdotes and insights about this important moment in their lives, including the experience of working with the legendary director, Peter Brook, who Nick Hammond credits with launching his career.

“They described how as a group several of them attended the film’s New York premiere and were featured on the cover of US magazines and went to supper afterwards at Sardi’s restaurant, where they were feted by film stars. Meanwhile the British boys weren’t allowed to see the film publicly because it was X-rated.”

The film held up – “still exciting to watch”, Jill Lang told The Chiswick Calendar. “The fact that it was in black and white just made it more atmospheric,” she said, and “it was interesting to hear them tell their stories about the experience of being in it.”

READ ALSO: I was one of the Lord of the Flies child actors in 1963

Image: Lauren Saskia and Louie Damman receive their awards from Andrea Carnevali

Colin Firth announces the winners of the 2024 Chiswick In Film Festival Young Film makers award

The winners of the 2024 Young Film makers competition were announced on Sunday (17 November) at the Chiswick In Film Festival.

Lauren Saskia (23) won the 18 – 25 category with her film The Taxi Triangle, and Louie Damman (14) won the 10 to 17 category with his film WARtism.

To watch their films and some of the others show at the awards on Sunday, and see what the judges said about them, read more here:

READ ALSO: Colin Firth announces the winners of the 2024 Chiswick In Film Festival Young Film makers award

READ ALSO: Colin Firth praises high standard of entries in the Chiswick In Film Festival Young Film makers awards

Image: The audience arrives for a screening at Chiswick Cinema; Photograph Can Mehmethanoglu

The end of a tough year for cinema

The date of the Chiswick Film Festival weekend was planned a year ago when “there was nothing in the programme calendar,” says Chris Parker, Marketing and Programme Manager for the cinema.

“We knew that cinema was going to have a tough year on the back of the actors’ stries and still feeling the consequences of the pandemic. Planning it this time last year it seemed like a good idea at the time” to have it in November.

As it got closer to the festival it became apparent Gladiator II would be opening the same weekend and Paddington in Peru would just have opened – the two big blockbuster films of the autumn. Blitz and Heretic are also popular films being shown currently.

“You wouldn’t really also think to have a film festival this weekend.”

The cinema went from having between 250 – 300 people on recent Saturdays to 1900 over two days this weekend.

The other organisers of the festival – Andrea Carnevali, Rob Sprackling and myself – would like to add to Chris’s praise and thanks to the cinema staff for rising to the occasion, and despite the odd hiccup, giving every impression of enjoying it.

We would also like to thank our sponsors The London Bath Company, for making it possible to host someone of the calibre of the legendary director James Ivory and look after him properly.

“It was an extraordinary success. This is what this cinema is about – yes we play the big, blockbuster stuff, but we also platform film and platform people’s stories and bring people together. ‘To only connect’, to quote EM Forster, that’s the point.

“You have to have diversity in what you’re showing. Not everyone’s going to rush to see Gladiator II on its opening weekend. We have a lot of members and we have to give them value.”

This year’s programme included an action film – 1917, a Kids’ Club film – Madagascar, with tickets priced at £6, a comedy – Calendar Girls, a period drama – Howard’s End, a fan film – Hunt for Gollum, a screening for the 90th anniversary of Hammer Horror – Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb, and a reunion of cast members of Lord of the Flies, all with people connected to the films talking about their work, as well as the screening of the winning entries in the Chiswick In Cinema Young Film Makers competition.

“There were also meet-ups, community groups came in to meet around the festival. It took the cinema beyond Chiswick and brought everyone together,” said Chris.

Image: Chiswick Cinema foyer; Photograph Can Mehmethanoglu

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar