After a strong start in 2013 with 8 screenings including outdoor events at Station Square, Brockwell Park and Brockwell Lido and a successful 48hr Film Challenge, planning is already underway for this year’s festival which will be taking place across a number of venues in Herne Hill throughout May.
Herne Hill Festival - photo by Colin Tonks
The festival starts on 2nd May with a free outdoor screening at Station Square - located in front of Herne Hill station - of the 1928 silent Buster Keaton classic Steamboat Bill Junior. The composer and author Neil Brand, known by many as a regular silent film accompanist at the National Film Theatre, will be providing a musical score with the valuable assistance of the Herne Hill public piano. This then starts a month of diverse programming across a wide range of venues in the area.
Detailed plans for the festival are still under wraps but we can confirm the return of the 48hr Film Challenge, which remains free and will be bigger and better than 2013, and which this year will have a judging panel led by none other than Oscar winning Shakespeare in Love producer David Parfitt. The competition will begin on Saturday 3 May at The Prince Regent, with each team of budding filmmakers being given a prop, a line of dialogue, a Herne Hill location and 48hrs in which to make a short film, and it will end with a series of screenings on Friday 23 May - prizes will of course be awarded to the winners! Last year nearly all the teams that took part were making their first foray into the world of filmmaking - whether toddlers or pensioners. So if you’ve always thought you’d one day like to make a film, now is the chance!
The Prince Regent - Herne Hill
A free filmmaking workshop is being held at The Prince Regent on Wednesday 23 April and will be open to all, especially those that want to take part but who need a little guidance and encouragement to take that first step to stardom! Almost 20 entries were received in 2013, and the team organising this years’ challenge are keen for more people to get involved in 2014 to show the world - or at least the community of South London - what residents and visitors to the area are capable of!
With support from the Herne Hill Forum and local estate agent Pedder the 2014 Herne Hill Free Film festival will also see other free outdoor screenings being held across a range of Herne Hill locations, and a number of smaller free indoor screenings engaging with the widest possible audience. With plans to host evenings of short-films by local filmmakers, documentaries and challenging films addressing important issues there truly will be something for everyone in the area.
In addition to engaging with the community the volunteers behind the 2014 Herne Hill Free Film Festival also want to develop knowledge of cinema among residents and visitors through workshops, talks and Director Q&As, showing us all that there is more to film than heading into town to watch the latest blockbuster in the West End!
After a devastating flood in August 2013 Herne Hill’s residents and businesses have worked hard to get back to normal and the Herne Hill Free Film Festival is a great way to celebrate the area’s ongoing recovery. By bringing the local community together and by encouraging visitors to come to Herne Hill that recovery can continue - despite the unpredictable weather Herne Hill’s future looks bright!
The team behind the Heme Hill Free Film Festival also needs your help. You can make a valuable contribution by coming to the screenings but if you’re over 18 you can also put your name forward to help deliver this year’s festival. We are always happy to welcome new volunteers, even if it’s just to lend a hand on the night of one of our screenings, and to register your interest do please contact us. Alternatively if you think you can support in any other way, including lending your expertise or by providing funding, we would be happy to discuss options with you.
And if you can’t wait for the full schedule to be published in April you can follow developments online - look us up on the www.freefilmfestivals.org website, on Facebook or @HerneHillFilm on Twitter.
Watch this space!
Note: The Herne Hill Free Film Festival is part of a family of free film festivals that take place every year across South East London. For more information on these festivals, which include the Peckham and Nunhead and Camberwell Free Film Festivals please visit the Free Film Festivals’ website at www.freefilmfestivals.org. If you want to get involved in this years Herne Hill Free Film Festival please contact Charlotte at [email protected].
