CORNWALL FILM FESTIVAL TO MOVE FROM FALMOUTH TO NEWQUAY
As the Cornwall Film Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, organisers say the future us looking bright thanks to an increase in visitor numbers and has outgrown its Falmouth base so plans to move to Newquay for 2012. “I’m thrilled to report that gross revenues for tickets and passes are up nearly 40% over 2010, despite the economic downturn,” said Donna Anton, festival director. “This supports the difficult decision to move the festival to Newquay from Falmouth, which we had physically outgrown. The decision by the trustees to move the festival to Newquay was not taken lightly, but technologically and logistically, the new cinema, and nearby workshop venues, offered more of what we needed, including the potential for growth and developing a broader audience. Falmouth is a much-admired centre for the arts, but now Newquay can also share more of the wealth of Cornwall’s arts community.”
Many of the features and documentaries in preview at this year’s festival have been critically well-received, both in the UK and abroad. The independent films We Need to Talk About Kevin, Black Pond, Wuthering Heights and Tabloid have just gone on general release, as did the gay romance Weekend last week, and all have garnered at least four-star reviews by leading UK film critics. Many of these films will not otherwise have cinema screenings in Cornwall. In addition, over 175 short films were screened, with Eighty Eight, co-directed by Seb Feehan and Josh Bamford, winning the £1,000 Decent Exposure juried student prize sponsored by Relentless. There was high turnout for all three Cornish features, especially Brett Harvey’s Weekend Retreat, which won the 2011 Delabole Slate Golden Chough award for the film that best represented the spirit of the Cornwall Film Festival.
More information at www.cornwallfilmfestival.com
