Withnail and I star Paul McGann is among the headliners at a new Lake District festival later this year.
Aerial, in Ambleside, will also feature BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, ground-breaking composer Erland Cooper, Amy Liptrot and BBC Radio 3’s Elizabeth Alker.
It runs from November 8 to November 11 and is in partnership with Inward Eye Film Festival and Zeffirellis Cinema.
The festival will open with a restaging of the world premiere of iconic British film Withnail and I, which took place at Zeffirellis in 1987.
To mark the occasion, McGann – who played I – will join the festival in person for a conversation about the impact the film has had and continues to have across generations and around the world with journalist and best-selling author Luke Turner.
The actor will also close the festival with a special gala event, full details of which will be released next month.
On Saturday November 9, St Mary’s Church will welcome ground-breaking Scottish composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Cooper who, in a world-first will join forces with the entire BBC Philharmonic Orchestra to reimagine his acclaimed work Carve the Runes Then be Content with Silence in a performance to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Unclassified and hosted by presenter Elizabeth Alker.
On Saturday, author Amy Liptrot will be at the festival for a special screening of The Outrun produced by and starring Saoirse Ronan, the film adaptation of Amy’s award winning memoir.
Actor/director Mark McGann will host the annual Inward Eye Short Film competition and will present a talk – Mixing Mediums: Poetry and active silence as human narrative in film. Filmmakers are asked to respond to the theme mixing mediums.
Anyone can submit a film for consideration, for full details please visit www.aerialfestival.com
There will also be a free event with music ensemble Propellor.
Sam Hunt, of Aerial, said: “We had originally hoped to stage a festival in 2020 but plans were paused because of the pandemic, despite that our audience donated over £4,000 to Ambleside food bank. So it is great that with our partners at BBC Radio 3, Zeffirellis and Inward Eye and valued support from Westmorland and Furness Council we are able to start again.
“We think Aerial is quite unlike any other festival, its purpose is to celebrate this incredible area as a place of contemporary inspiration and it is a dream to at the beginning of something we believe will quickly become important for the area and our community.”
