People in receipt of working age benefits or Pension Credit will be able to enjoy free entry to a Cumbrian film festival with a local flavour, thanks to support from Cumberland Council.
The Kirkgate Centre in Cockermouth is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and one of the main events is a Summer Film Festival featuring 30 films, one from each year of the Kirkgate’s existence and all with a strong Cumbrian link.
Thanks to £1,150 from Cumberland Council’s Healthy Places Funding Panel, the Kirkgate is able to offer free passes for the entire festival to anyone claiming working age benefits or Pension Credit.
The festival runs from Friday, July 18 until Sunday, August 17, and tickets are £30 for the full festival or £6.50 per individual screening.
Kirkgate chief executive Emma Heys said: “It’s wonderful news that, thanks to funding from Cumberland Council, we are able to make the festival more widely accessible.”
Films have been selected because of their local connections – featuring either Cumbrian stars, directors, authors or writers, music composers or locations.
Two films from acclaimed Carlisle-born director Mike Figgis feature in the line-up – Leaving Las Vegas (Friday, July 18) and The Loss Of Sexual Innocence (Saturday, July 19).
Composer Adrian Johnston, also from the Carlisle area, figures heavily too. Four of the movies he scored will be screened – Jude starring Christopher Ecclestone and Kate Winslet (Saturday, July 19), Me Without You starring Anna Friel and Michelle
Willims (Sunday, July 20), Brideshead Revisited starring Ben Wishaw and Matthew Goode (Wednesday, July 30) and Glorious 39 starring Romola Garai and Eddy Redmayne (Saturday, August 2).
Other films with strong Cumbrian links to be shown include:
- Miss Potter starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, which was partially filmed in the county (Sunday, July 20);
- Supernova starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, also partially filmed in Cumbria (Sunday, July 20);
- 28 Days Later starring Cillian Murphy and Christopher Ecclestone featuring Cumbrian locations, including the closing scene around Ennerdale (Friday, July 25);
- Sightseers, also partially shot in the county including the pencil museum in Keswick (Monday, July 28);
- Johnny English Reborn starring Rowan Atkinson, who went to school at St Bees (Sunday, August 3).
A 30th anniversary birthday party will also take place on Saturday, October 11. This will include music from New Orleans style jazz band Alligator Gumbo served up with Cajun Creole food (£30 per person).
Other events organised to celebrate the Kirkgate’s birthday include an exhibition and a raffle.
To claim a pass, email [email protected], call 01900 829966 or call into the box office on Monday or Friday from 10am to noon.
