A new ‘pay what you can afford’ film season opens in Cambridge next week with special guests introducing movies they love.
The Cambridge Film Festival will return for its 39th edition this October, but if that’s too long to wait for your film and special guest fix, then there’s good news.
The people behind the movie festival are bringing a season of exciting events to the Arts Picturehouse cinema over the coming months.
The ‘A Film I Love…’ season will see a series of special guests introducing films they love, talking about why they love them, and why you should too!
The fun begins on Monday, March 25 when poet Hollie McNish introduces Bhaji on the Beach, the award-winning comedy written by Meera Syal about a group of Birmingham-based Asian women who head to Blackpool on a journey of self-discovery.
The following month, on Monday, April 29, maths teacher and University Challenge star Bobby Seagull will introduce The Man Who Knew Infinity.
Bobby is returning to Cambridge to present a film which is dear to his heart.
He said: “As a maths teacher doing my doctorate at Emmanuel College Cambridge, this was a standout choice for me.
“My parents are originally from south India, and I have read about the early 20th century mathematical genius of south India Srivinasa Ramanujan and Thomas Hardy’s efforts to bring his mathematics to wider attention at Trinity Cambridge.
“This is an underrated film and I hope the passage of time will see it being critically re-appraised.”
Finally, on Monday, May 27, Classic FM presenter Tim Lihoreau will introduce the cult classic Withnail and I, starring Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant.
A key element of this new film season is that it is being used by the festival to pilot a ‘pay what you can afford’ ticket scheme.
Tickets for all the events will be available on a sliding price scale from free to £12, with people being asked to pay what they can afford based on their circumstances.
Owen Baker, Cambridge Film Festival’s marketing manager, explained the thinking behind the scheme.
“Some people may not know that the Cambridge Film Festival is run by a charity, and our key aim is to bring great films to as wide an audience as possible.
“Research shows that sadly Cambridge is the most economically unequal city in the UK, and we know from talking to festival-goers and people across the city that coming to events like ‘A Film I Love...’ simply isn’t financially possible for many people.”
He added: “We hope that by introducing this new Pay What You Can Afford scheme, people who otherwise might be excluded will be able to come along to what I’m certain will be great evenings of film.”
The respective screenings will start at 6.15pm at the Arts Playhouse in St Andrew’s Street.
• Tickets and full information can be found on the Cambridge Film Festival website at www.camfilmfest.com and in person at the Arts Picturehouse box office.
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