Harrogate Film Festival proud of major impact for region

Growing to a ten-day event, the independently-organised festival has this month welcomed more than 20 filmmakers in person from across the world from as far as America.

This year’s programme also welcomed the BAFTA award-winning Directors, Ken Loach and Tony Palmer as well as the larger than life actor, Brian Blessed, to Harrogate’s 1000-seat Royal Hall.

In partnership with Cause UK, Ken Loach wowed over 300-people, in conversation with Dan Weldon, a senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University’s Northern Film School – the official education partner of the Festival. The event raised over £1000 for The Harrogate Homeless Project.

Dan Weldon said: "It was a fabulous event and an honour for myself and the Northern Film School at Leeds Beckett University to be involved.

“Ken Loach is a legend, and an important inspiration for everyone in the packed-out auditorium not least our filmmaking students who, like Ken Loach, have an important future role making films in our troubled and turbulent times. Events like this changes lives.”

Adam Chandler, managing director of the Festival said: “With more than 3,000 people attending the festival this year I’ve loved it.

"To have legends such as Ken Loach and Tony Palmer visit the town is a real coup for the Festival and our filmmaker’s competition really goes from strength-to-strength.

"I’d like to thank everyone for coming and our partners for all your support, it’s what makes the event brilliant. I can’t wait for 2021 – planning is already underway!”

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Harrogate-based filmmaker, Lewis Robinson, won the Audience Choice Award at the Festivals truly worldwide competition, with the ‘Best Film’ award going to London filmmaker, Robert Hackett. There were also award winners from Spain, Russia, America and Canada.

An evening with the BAFTA award-winning Tony Palmer, was enjoyed by a sold out audience at Cold Bath Brewing Company.

He told stories of his times filming with The Beatles. Jimi Hendrix, Maria Callas, Benjamin Britten and Paul McCartney to an engaged and enthused crowd.

Zoe Robinson, Managing Partner at Raworths Solicitors said: “This year’s Harrogate Film Festival has been tremendous with the calibre of entries in the Independent Filmmakers’ Competition being particularly impressive.

"Our congratulations go to the organisers for delivering a really varied and extended programme of events this year.”

Harrogate Film Festival’s innovative events such as the film escape room, was also a huge success with more then 40 teams taking on the challenge at Harrogate’s Cedar Court Hotel. There are calls from audiences for the concept to return for 2021.

Finally, the festival closed at the glittering Royal Hall last Sunday night when legendary actor Brian Blessed, 83, arrived to defy the coronavirus lockdown.

Larger than life than ever, his charisma and voice carried through the magnificent building entertaining around 400 brave audience members.

A Booming Brian Blessed Blows the Socks off Audiences at the Royal Hall

Brian Blessed performed to an appreciative audience at the Royal Hall in Harrogate on Sunday (15 March).

It was a triumphant close to the 2020 Harrogate Film Festival, which began the week with another octogenarian, film-director Ken Loach, who gave an inspirational audience Q&A after his latest screening of his film ‘Sorry We Missed You.’

Cause UK, who secured both Blessed and Loach for the festival, aims to promote good causes and agendas via programming inspirational events and supporting the arts.

Blessed did not disappoint.

His booming ‘Gordon’s Alive’ opening and sonorous voice was in full throttle. Not for the faint-hearted, Brian filled the stage with anecdotes of growing up in Mexborough, a coal miner’s son, making it on Broadway and the West End in Andrew Lloyd’s Webber widely successful ‘Cats’ with Judi Dench, and his actorly escapades with Peter O’Toole, John Gielgud and Alec Guinness at the Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Shakespeare Company. His stories held the audience spellbound.

A famed raconteur, Brian’s exuberant 90-minute show was full of defiant poignancy. “We will beat this virus,” he repeated, calling the Harrogate-audience the ‘bravest’ he’s seen as all West End Theatres had now closed.

At 83, Brian is a force of nature. He spoke movingly about kissing his wife - the ‘70s screen siren, Hildegard Neil - for this first time in Harrogate, who he told the audience was now sadly ill with cancer, to his love for rescuing animals. Brian said all proceeds from his appearance fee will go to the Born Free Foundation and the RSPCA.

Brian spoke of having a hotline to Sir Kenneth Branagh and Buzz Aldrin no less.

He exuded positivity, a relish for life, and maintained an electric energy. Brian’s love of science, space and the stars threw the audience into philosophical wonder: “We are all astronauts travelling through space 60,000 miles an hour on rocket ship Earth, so when you wake up tomorrow morning you’ll be in a different part of the universe!” he said.

Brian has conquered Everest, Kilimanjaro and completed 80 hours of astronaut training.

He encouraged the audience to ‘live your dreams’, saying we all have our Everest to conquer, whether it is using a Zimmer frame for the first time, sorting the greenhouse or going for a job, encouraging us to ‘go for it’ reach for the stars and whatever the world’s problems, including Coronavirus, he affirmed: “We will make it!”

Brian recited a beautiful soliloquy from Shakespeare’s famous Henry V: ‘Once more to the breach dear friends!’, told hilarious jokes, and ended with a tenor soprano performance impersonating Pavarotti.

The audience leapt to their feet in rapturous applause with a standing ovation.

With a triumphant, “Don’t let the bastards get you down!” the national treasure exited the stage.

A rollercoaster evening of intimacy and belly laughs made for an unforgettable life-affirming evening.

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