Premiere opens 15th film festival (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Premiere opens 15th film festival

9:30pm Friday 13th March 2009 in

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The red carpet was rolled out at the National Media Museum to herald the opening of the Bradford International Film Festival tonight.

An eight-strong posse of cast and crew, including actress Sylvia Sims, arrived at the black-tie event to see the premiere of their film Is Anybody There?

They were joined at the opening gala by actress Virginia McKenna but Sir Michael Caine, who plays a retired magician in the film, missed out because of a clash with shooting for his latest movie.

The fifteenth festival is a fortnight of movie indulgence. A record number of movies were submitted for this year’s festival from all over the world – from Canada and the Philippines, to Sweden and Japan.

There are several strands to the programme including a new documentary season and CineFile, which unearths the stories behind movie-making.

Special guests – Virginia McKenna, former Python Terry Jones and cult documentary-maker Peter Whitehead – are set to drop in and will be the subject of retrospectives before the curtains are drawn on the festival on March 28.

Speaking at the opening, Tony Earnshaw, the festival’s artistic director, said: “Our national reputation is really growing. People now come to us and ask what we’re doing this year.

“It’s a great atmosphere, good fun and proves again that film doesn’t just exist in London.”

The festival is also marking Bradford’s bid to become the first Unesco City Of Film with the screening of three movies with a city connection. One of them, Room at the Top, is shown tomorrow, at 1.15pm, with a screentalk by Virginia McKenna – who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award – at 7pm.

For more information visit bradfordfilmfestival.org.uk.