Director Oliver Stone records raw interview exclusively for Harrogate Film Festival

The 30-minute raw and unscripted interview was filmed at his home in LA for the festival, which returns for its fifth year.

The event has been meticulously planned within COVID-19 guidelines and will feature a series of mini festivals running between April and September, instead of its usual ten day run.

Stone’s interview will precede the screening of his classic film, JFK. The epic political thriller celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and looks closely at the events surrounding the assassination of the United States President John F. Kennedy and the alleged cover-up through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney, Jim Garrison. Oliver’s interview promises to be a no holding back, controversial and topical affair as he discusses his career, JFK 30 years on, new findings, insights to his latest projects and the state of politics today. The JFK Exclusive 30th Anniversary Screening with Special Guest, Oliver Stone, will be shown at 7pm on April 23.

The film festival will also be showcasing a range of independent films from around the world that have been submitted by filmmakers. Festival Features is an initiative from Harrogate Film Society offering a series of online screenings. The ten films - which can be booked with one pass or individually - will be shown between April 23 and May 30.

Then, on April 24, from 10am to 3pm, LEGO Art Director Tori Davis will host a Lego design workshop. Participants will be able to learn the fundamentals of character design and build.

The Yorkshire Film and TV Industry Summit 2021: Pulling Focus on Skills starts at 9.15am on April 25. The not-to-be-missed event will celebrate Yorkshire’s creative industries by bringing together like-minded individuals from freelancers to creative agencies, funding bodies to industry networks, and universities to skills-based providers.

Dennis and Gnasher and Shaun the Sheep story artist and animator, David Bunting, will be running an interactive pixilation workshop from April 23 to May 30. David demonstrates how to combine live-action and animation to make a magical ‘pixilation’ outdoor movie, where objects come alive and have a mind of their own! From generating ideas, to animation tricks, editing and sound effects, David covers every step of filmmaking and shows how animation can be made anywhere.

Organisers are also hosting a short film competition with eight categories. The critically acclaimed contest, from April 23 to 30, boasts a wide selection of films, with viewers having the chance to vote for their favourite in the Raworth Audience Choice Award. The competition features the Advertiser’s own Graham Chalmers as a judge.

Visit https://www.harrogatefilm.co.uk/ to book tickets or for more information on any of the events.