VIDEO: Be prepared for the best Romford Film Festival ever!

Friday sees the start of four fantastic film festival days at Premiere Cinema in The Mercury.

It’s that time of year again! It’s May, and just after the Cannes Film Festival, which can only mean it’s time for the Romford Film Festival. Running from the 24th to the 28th of May, the festival is back for its seventh year, filled with great movies, experiences, talks, and socializing.

Each day, from 11:00 AM to 11:30 PM, movies will be playing on two screens, with an additional two screens starting at 9:30 PM. This year’s lineup includes films from every corner of the world, featuring over 30 world premieres and around 40 UK premieres. The festival boasts a series of short and full-length feature films, as well as outstanding documentaries that are set to make big splashes wherever they go.

Many of the films will be followed by Q&A sessions with cast and crew, hosted by the festival’s four interviewers: Ayvianna Snow, Peter Blunden, Philip Rogers, and Spencer Hawken. Unlike many small film festivals, the Romford Film Festival has a truly international flavor, with filmmakers traveling from Central Asia, Canada, the United States, and across Europe. This is partly due to the festival-within-a-festival, the Eurasian Creative Guild Film Festival, which joins Romford for the sixth time. This secondary festival features a selection of films from Central Asia and the wider diaspora, adding a unique flair to the festival’s opening and closing ceremonies, attended by various dignitaries in exotic robes and numerous international press.

In addition to the films, there’s an abundance of other activities. Full festival pass holders can participate in a photo shoot on the 28th of May between 3:00 and 11:00 PM with local photography legend Hannah Davis. On launch day, the 24th of May, Sylvia J. Schmidt, an entertainment lawyer, will be talking to filmmakers about various aspects of law in cinema. On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, Richard Colton from the BTS Creative Academy will be hosting live podcasts from the festival, interviewing different filmmakers about their films. Also on Tuesday, the 28th of May, there are additional sessions: “How to Make a Movie,” “Ask the Producer” with film producer Charlotte Atkinson, and “How to Be More Successful on the Festival Circuit.” There’s a great opportunity for filmmakers and film fans alike to network each day at the bar, and perhaps visit one of the many restaurants or coffee shops below the cinema. The Projectionist Bar opens at 11:00 AM each day and stays open until 11:00 PM. A usual highlight of the bar is the film-themed cocktails related to some of the films screened at the festival. For those who love another dimension, each afternoon the festival team will be hosting VR sessions for Meta TV.

Film highlights include “Walking Fernando” starring Javier Bardem as a goldfish lusting for freedom, and “Mellodrive,” a romantic drama with music featuring an incredible cast, including EastEnders star Michelle Collins. The world premiere of “Unspeakable: Beyond The Wall of Sleep” starring Terminator 2 star Edward Furlong is bound to traumatize, showing before the festival favorite “Kill Your Lover,” a radical new body horror movie. “Kim’s Video” is a gripping documentary about a video shop that becomes embroiled in legal wranglings in Sicily. Film lover Simon Callow appears in an unexpected role in “Murder Ballads,” while Mona Lisa star Cathy Tyson steps behind the camera as producer of the short film “The Consequence.” Former Sky Sports presenter Charlotte Coleman takes on a compelling leading role in the film “A Positive Contribution,” and the movie “Art” takes a daring approach by using Cornish dialogue. A string of 80s film legends appear side by side in “Roswell Delirium,” and Monday features a quartet of action movies including “War Blade,” “Fyre Rises,” “Layers of Lies,” and the world premiere of “Death Pit.” Meanwhile, cinematographer Robbie Ryan, fresh from success with “Poor Things,” is again behind the camera for “Bien Cuit.” If that’s not enough, stepping away from independent film, the festival will have the longest-ever screening of Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in America,” which runs on Saturday the 25th from 6:00 PM. In total, 184 films will be screened over the five-day festival, with something for everyone, including a clutch of films fresh from this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

The festival begins on Friday. Tickets are available from £3.99 per session. “Once Upon a Time in America” is £5, and day passes can be purchased at hotandspice.com or by calling Brentwood. For more information, visit www.romfordfilmfestival.com.

 Any enquiries to Spencer Hawken Festival Director theromfordfilmfestival@gmail.com

Film Festival Director Spencer Hawken prepares us for an exciting four days in Romford!

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