Leigh Film Festival 2014

On the evening of Saturday 27th September 2014, I visited Leigh’s inaugural film festival, which was held in the Turnpike gallery at Leigh library. The spacious room was set up with 150 chairs or so with a projector pointed against the blank wall in front of the seating. Photographic prints from the local camera club adorned the walls for people to admire and if they wised, purchase. A warm, welcoming atmosphere laid promise to a night which was set to showcase four short films made by filmmakers from the North-West of England.

The free event opened its doors at 7pm and the films began at 7.30pm after an introduction from local actor Will Travis, who’s starred in Where The Heart Is and is currently in Manchester-based soap opera, Coronation Street, as Andrea’s estranged husband, Neil.

After a brief promotional video for the Trust in Leigh initiative, the first of the four short films began.

Blood Loyal, from director David Rowlinson, is a tale of two brothers caught up in a civil war, with each brother join opposing armies. When push comes to shove, will the brothers stay loyal to each other or their army? Is blood thicker than water?
With the aid of a historical re-enactment group and a skilled fight choreographer who’s worked on the Russell Crowe epic, Gladiator, Blood Loyal provided an interesting story about family, conflict and loyalty in the face of death. You can check out the full short below.

The second film of the night was In The Shadow of Eli from directors Tom Coulson and Hamish Anderson. A picturesque cottage in Plymouth is the setting for the psychological thriller starring Charlotte Hunter (The Herd) and Sarah Winter (Bloody Cuts). Breathtaking visuals present the story of a mother still riddled with grief from the death of her son Eli, and her refusal to leave her home on the coast prevents her from moving on with her life and from mending relationships with her sister. A dreamlike, thoughtful, shocking and stunning tale with strong performances from the two actresses.

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/66264117[/vimeo]

The penultimate short film of the night was in fact the longest. And She Cried was shot to create awareness about bullying and was made in conjunction with Rochdale council and the mother of Sophie Lancaster, a teenage girl who was tragically murdered by bullies because of the way she looked and the goth lifestyle that she was in to. Whilst the film shared a gothic similarity, the film also encorporates several aspects that contribute to the plot on both the victim’s side and the agressor’s. A poignant short that hopefully conveys its message across to the children as it screens throughout the various schools across the Rochdale borough.

The final short film of the night came from writer and director team Nag Nag Productions, made up of Craig Kendrick, Ivan Meredith and David Wilson. Using local actors and made on a micro budget, Suffer Well tells the story of an elderly man who finally gets his hands on the young hoodlum who’s been harassing him and making his life a misery. A powerful, tense thriller that really gives a sense of home-grown justice.

Finishing at 10pm, the first Leigh Film Festival proved to be a success and with hopes of futher film festivals in Leigh in the future, the town plans to embrace, grow and showcase a society of creative filmmakers in the borough and satisfy local film fans with their monthly film screenings.