What’s on - Expect spooks and sprites as festival focuses on film with a Stratford flavour
SPOOKS, sprites and a soppy rom-com come to the Bear Pit Community Cinema’s big screen when it hosts its first film festival.
Six films, all with Stratford links, will be shown at the theatre in Rother Street from 16th to 20th July.
The films are: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (16th), The Haunting (17th), If… (18th), You, Me& Him (19th), Gnomeo & Juliet (20th) and All is True (20th).
The community cinema grew from the dark days of Covid.
Leader of the cinema team, Simon Allen, told the Herald: “Having been hit hard by the Covid shutdown and nervousness of supporters to return, the board decided to trial film screenings by utilising a £10,000 bounce-back loan – initially renting the equipment.”
Following an overwhelmingly positive response to the initial screenings, and the £5 ticket fee, the board splashed out on permanent equipment and an overhaul of the building’s electrics.
A further grant of £5,000 from the town trust was spent on a projector and a £958 donation from One Stop Shops paid for an eclectic screen.
“Our main aim was to set up and run an affordable community cinema for Stratford, in part to replace the defunct Picture House,” explained Simon.
Running through the programme highlights, Simon said: “The Haunting (1963) is a classic British ghost story, but based on an American novel The Haunting of Hill House. The exterior scenes were filmed at Ettington Park, before it was a hotel. It was chosen as a quintessential neo-gothic building with a perfect atmosphere to generate the suspense needed. “Unfortunately, director Robert Wise didn’t find the interiors suitable, so they were shot at MGM Studios, Elstree.
“For lovers of romantic comedies, You, Me & Him gives the usual plot a modern spin. It stars first class British actors, including David Tennant – with the RSC star looking understandably at home in its Stratford location.
“Lindsey Anderson’s film If… although set in a British public school it is a microcosm of life in 1970s England shaped by factual and surreal elements and is equally relevant today.
“All Is True sees Kenneth Branagh take a thought-provoking look at the Shakespeare family in Stratford, while Peter Hall’s 1968 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, set at Compton Verney, still resonates with magic. For a lighter note we included Gnomeo & Juliet, a family-friendly version of the Bard’s play set in a Stratford garden.”
Simon added: “We hope that our carefully curated programme offers something for everyone, and that audiences can join us in celebrating the magic of film.”
In addition, each film will be accompanied by a question and answer session led by local experts, including: RSC actor Paul Greenwood on Dream; TV director Colin Lewis Edwards on If…, RSC director Nicky Cox on You Me & Him, and historian and archivist Mairi Macdonald on All is True.
There is also a competition for children to name the street where Gnomeo and Juliet live, with a special prize for first correct entry.
Book tickets and find our more at www.thebearpit.org.uk.
