In The Frame The 9th Beeston Film Festival

For four days in April, Beeston became the Mecca for short film makers, as the latest Beeston Film Festival took place at the Arc Cinema and NG9’s own Vicky McClure. Unfortunately they didn’t make a guest appearance, but former Dinnerladies actor Andrew Dunn did. He played Tony the canteen manager. For the festival, he took the role of an antiques dealer in the horror ‘Badpenny’. discernable emotion and a sense of pace that makes it difficult to put down. I was on tenterhooks with every turn, I just had to know what happened next! Not only that, the book contains some of Dan’s hauntingly beautiful illustrations, a nod to the supernatural events contained within. It also helped that the font is larger as I couldn’t find where I had put my reading glasses at the time!

As you immerse yourself in the narrative, you sense danger and intrigue right from the start and quickly learn of a malevolent force deep beneath the quarry. You meet a security guard who is scared of the dark, a wild-haired, wise old crone and of course the protagonist himself Jac, who having been displaced in a strange new life, wearing a heavy cloak of melancholia, seems to find trouble round every corner. But there is also a tangible sense of hope for Jac, both in a new friend and the strange happenings late one night where an explosion of light changes the course of his existence forever.

Dan tells me his favourite writers growing up were Douglas Adams, Stephen King, John Banville, Phillip Pullman, Charles Bukowski and Neil Gaiman so it’s no surprise that his own writing contains elements of mythology, fantasy and science fiction. It definitely gets The Beestonian Team seal of approval, and we are glad you were ‘brave enough to start’ Dan!

DU

The legends are true: HOBS are real. Except these aren't Pixies or elves or any other such fairytale nonsense; they're aliens

Stranded on earth for hundreds of years, the HOBS have made a new home, deep below the English countryside; a secret city called Narrowdark. It's hidden, secure, and safe. But when an ancient power is released into the world above, they have to act.

Because all that power just crashed into a rather shocked 12 year old human, called Jac...

As the cover of the programme guide proclaims, it is ‘The Midlands Biggest International Short Film Festival’. And it certainly was, with over 150 films screened between the 13th & 16th of April, under various genres like comedy, horror and naturally drama. The festival was of course organised by adopted Beestonian John Currie and Commercial Director Simon Pryce. Who remembers those early days of the upstairs at the old White Lion pub? Not quite with a white sheet and a film projector, but the complete opposite now, as it’s at a professionally run cinema. Making it on par with the Sundance festival, or Cannes, but just missing the sunshine and glamour.

The highlight of the festival was of course the awards night. Where the best films, directors and performances were up for award; the ‘B’Oscars’, which once again were designed and created by glass artist Rebecca Joy of Joyful Dragonfly. A name familiar to some, as she used to have a shop in Beeston called BeCass.

Despite the films being short, and not having huge budgets, quite a few well-known actors popped up in roles. These included Mark Gattis, Celia Imrie

Now in its ninth year, the festival goes from strength to strength, with it now being qualified by the British Independent Film Awards CIC and is recognised by the British Film Institute. 2024 will be its 10th anniversary and I wonder what surprises John and his team will have in store for film fans and the people of Beeston?