Film Studies students and staff from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) have teamed up with the city’s independent cinema and arts centre to host a free online festival this month.
The Blossom Film Festival by DMU and the Phoenix will explore themes of growth, hope and new beginnings – notions that strike a chord for many in current times – through a range of free films and events.
It will include screenings of legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth and Philippa Lowthorpe’s Misbehaviour which recounts the 1970 Miss World final in which the Women's Liberation Movement achieved overnight fame by invading the stage and disrupting the live global broadcast of the competition
Phoenix’s popular ‘Mystery Film’ night will also be part of the festival, where no-one knows what is screening until the film actually starts and festival-goers can test their movie knowledge with a Friday night Film Quiz on Instagram.
The festival is curated and delivered by students and staff from the Film Studies degree at De Montfort University, in conjunction with Phoenix.
With cinemas still unable to open, this year’s festival has moved entirely online and will bring the magic of cinema direct to people’s homes.
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The festival aims to mirror the much-missed cinema experience through ‘watch along’ events at specific times, with the audience able to interact with each other via a live chat room.
The festival has teamed up with Filmbankmedia, an international film distributor, to provide an online streaming player for several events. Other films in the programme are accessible via the subscription streaming services Netflix and Amazon Prime.
All events are free, though booking is required as attendees will be emailed a link in advance to access the screenings online.
More information about the screenings, including technical details and how to book, can be found on Phoenix’s website at phoenix.org.uk/event/blossom-film-festival.
DMU has an ongoing partnership with Phoenix.
The full programme is:
- Wednesday 21 April, 7.30pm
Princess Mononoke (dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 1997)
- Thursday 22 April, 7.30pm
Pan’s Labyrinth (dir. Guillermo del Toro, 2006)
- Friday 23 April, 7pm
Virtual film quiz on Phoenix’s Instagram
- Friday 23 April, 8pm
Mystery Film
- Saturday 24 April, from 6.30pm
Double Bill: Suffragette (dir. Sarah Gavron, 2016), 6.30pm + Misbehaviour (dir. Philippa Lowthorpe, 2020), 8.30pm
- Sunday 25 April, 12pm
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (dir. Taika Waititi, 2016)
Posted on Thursday 15 April 2021