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BAFTA at Latitude 2008

9 July 2008
BAFTA at Latitude Festival.

Joseph Fiennes, Gurinder Chadha and Alan Davies headline BAFTA Activity at Latitude Festival (17-20 July 2008).

Wednesday, 9 July 2008 - The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is proud to present a dynamic series of events at Latitude Festival in 2008. Taking place at Henham Park in Southwold, BAFTA events at Latitude include Q&As with BAFTA-nominated actor Joseph Fiennes and BAFTA-nominated director Gurinder Chadha, an exclusive preview screening of Chadha’s latest teen film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008), a screening of acclaimed prison-break film The Escapist (2008), and an extraordinary outdoor screening of Moulin Rouge (1928) accompanied by a live orchestra.

On Thursday 17 July, BAFTA will open the festival on the Lake Stage with a late-night screening of E. A. Dupont’s silent film Moulin Rouge with live music accompaniment from the Matrix Ensemble, conducted by renowned conductor, Robert Ziegler. Risqué and morally questionable, this film follows a young man who becomes romantically involved with Parysia, star of the famed Paris dance hall, who also happens to be his girlfriend's mother. Scored by Mike Westbrook, this event promises to titillate, tantalise and shock. BAFTA invites festival-goers to get in the mood and dress to impress at this screening - the best dressed festival-goer will receive a special prize.

On Sunday 20 July, BAFTA moves to the Music and Film Arena for an exclusive family preview screening of Gurinder Chadha’s hotly anticipated film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. Based on the international bestseller by Louise Rennison, the film follows the eccentric teenager Georgia as she overcomes the traumas of being a teenager. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Gurinder Chadha, one of the UK’s most popular filmmakers with a successful track record in directing international box office successes (Bend it like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice). Chadha will be interviewed by Alan Davies, comedian and star of Jonathan Creek.

On Sunday evening, BAFTA is delighted to invite British actor Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Running with Scissors) and hot emerging producer Adrian Sturges to talk on stage with Jason Solomons about their prison-break film The Escapist. Shot on a minimal budget in just a handful of locations, this film is a credit to the talents of the ensemble cast and the imaginative vision of first-time director Rupert Wyatt.

BAFTA Chief Executive Amanda Berry:

"We are delighted to return to the fantastic Latitude Festival for a second year. Once again we have a strong programme of three very different events which we hope will appeal across the audience spectrum. Latitude gives us the perfect forum to give the public the opportunity to ask questions, learn about creating excellence and inspire both audiences and film-makers of the future. This year we will film a BAFTA special report at the festival to be streamed on our website www.bafta.org, so even though the festival is sold out, people can still watch and enjoy BAFTA’s events."

Notes to Editors

BAFTA

The Academy exists to support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image, by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public.

The Learning and Events Programme, of which BAFTA at Latitude is a strand, aims to reach diverse public audiences through a series of nationwide events and learning programmes which recognise and celebrate achievement and share knowledge. For a full programme of BAFTA events that are open to the public, please visit www.bafta.org.

BAFTA would like to thank:

  • Vertigo Films for permitting us to screen The Escapist.
  • Paramount for allowing BAFTA to screen Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging prior to release.
  • Optimum Releasing for allowing us to screen Moulin Rouge, and the BFI for permitting us to borrow the print.

For further information, please contact: [email protected] at BAFTA

Latitude Festival 2008

For more information please visit www.latitudefestival.co.uk