Barbara Windsor and Olivier Assayas in Bradford to receive awards at Bradford International Film Festival
09 February 2012
UK film and television legend, Barbara Windsor, and acclaimed French film director Olivier Assayas will attend the 18th Bradford International Film Festival in partnership with Virgin Media, (19-29 April), to receive special awards in recognition of their contributions to cinema.
Barbara Windsor MBE, Lifetime Achievement Award - Born in the East End in 1937 Barbara Windsor is best known for her roles as Britain's most famous landlady, Peggy Mitchell, in EastEnders, and as the archetypal 60s/70s 'dolly bird' in the Carry On films. However her screen career also encompasses a BAFTA nominated lead role in Joan Littlewood's Sparrers Can't Sing (1963), which developed from the ground-breaking theatre workshops held at Littlewood's Theatre Royal, Stratford East. Windsor came to prominence in their early stage productions, joining the company soon after drama school. She also received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the 1965 Broadway production of, Oh What a Lovely War!
The Festival will also show two of her 1960s comedies: Carry on Spying (dir. Gerald Thomas, 1964), and Crooks in Cloisters (dir. Jeremy Summers, 1964). Barbara will be in Bradford to take part in a Screentalk (Friday 20 April, 7.30pm), before a screening of Sparrers Can't Sing.
Festival Co-Director Tom Vincent said:
"Barbara Windsor has been an irrepressible presence on film, television, stage and the radio for over fifty years. She's the very definition of a 'national treasure' and, as our selection of her early 1960s films will show, an arresting screen presence that has earned her both BAFTA plaudits and mass affection. Barbara also has a story or two to tell, and her interview event promises to be a real highlight."
Olivier Assayas, Fellowship Award – Son of screenwriter Jacques Remy, Assayas began his career in the same way as Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut before him, by working as a film critic for the magazine Cahiers du Cinema which he went on to edit. His writings brought new attention to Hong Kong action cinema and to Japanese and Taiwanese films, influences which continued into his own work. He is perhaps best known for Irma Vep (1996) starring Hong Kong star Maggie Cheung in which Cheung plays a version of herself, cast in a remake of silent classic Les Vampires under the direction of an ageing auteur. Cheung also took the leading role in the acclaimed Clean (2004), for which she won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival. Assayas' most recent film, the epic Carlos (2010), was made in both cinema and TV versions - the latter winning the Golden Globe for Best Mini-Series. Last year he served alongside Robert De Niro, Jude Law and Uma Thurman on the official jury of the Cannes Film Festival.
BIFF will screen a selection of films by Assayas who will be present for a Screentalk (Weds 25th April) in conversation with Festival Co-Director Neil Young, who said:
"Olivier Assayas has been one of the major figures in European cinema for three decades, first as a brilliantly influential critic and then as a superb film-maker. Of all the directors I've met, he's definitely one of the most articulate and illuminating - whether he's talking about his own work or other people's. It's great that such an internationally respected figure as Olivier was happy to interrupt the production of his next feature film to accept our invitation and come to Bradford."
Details of further special events and the incredible variety of films will be revealed in the coming weeks. Film Lovers passes and tickets for the Dodge Brothers band (featuring BBC TV and radio’s Mark Kermode) and pianist Neil Brand accompanying the silent film Beggars of Life are now available from: www.bradfordfilmfestival.org.uk or the National Media Museum box office 0844 856 3797. All other individual tickets are due to go on sale on 15 March.
ENDS
For further details please go to www.bradfordfilmfestival.org.uk
National Media Museum Box Office: 0844 8563797
For national press information and images please contact:
Phil Oates, Press Officer, National Media Museum
phil.oates@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
01274 203317
Clare Wilford
clare.wilford@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
0208 699 5995 / 07545 756 462
Rachel McWatt
rachel.mcwatt@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
07949 666275
BIFF Title Sponsor: Virgin Media
BIFF Supporters: Coutts (Official sponsor of the Barbara Windsor Lifetime Achievement Award), Black Sheep, Grand Central Trains, Jurys Inn, Leeds Metropolitan University, Northern Rail, University of Bradford, The Boris Karloff Charitable Foundation, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, British Film Institute, Creative England, David Lean Foundation, Europa Cinemas, Split Infinitive Trust.
Notes to Editors
About BIFF: It is the 18th Bradford International Film Festival at the National Media Museum, and the first to have Virgin Media as a title sponsor.
Since it began in 1995, Bradford International Film Festival has continued to be one of the outstanding events in the UK’s film calendar. This year, the National Media Museum will again be joined by satellite venues throughout Bradford and Yorkshire. The National Media Museum is the hub of the festival, where its unique facilities make it possible to present films in every format from 16mm, 35mm and 70mm to 3-strip Cinerama and IMAX 3D.
Previous guests have included John Hurt, Imelda Staunton, Michael Palin, Virginia McKenna, Alan Bennett, Malcolm McDowell and Kenneth Branagh.
About Virgin Media: Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.
The company delivers ultrafast broadband connections to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 100Mb, and is expanding this cable network – the result of a multi-billion pound investment – to reach thousands more people across the country.
Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo. The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of UK households.
Virgin Media also operates the most popular virtual mobile network in the UK which, when launched, was the world's first such mobile phone service. It is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country.
Virgin Media Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market and the London Stock Exchange (VMED). For more information, go to www.virginmedia.com.
Virgin Media Shorts
About to enter its fifth year, Virgin Media Shorts has become the biggest short film competition in the UK, giving emerging British talent the best possible exposure for their work. Each year, 12 up-and-coming directors have their films showcased to millions of people across the country in cinemas nationwide (through the Picturehouse network and independent cinemas), on TV through Virgin Media's leading on demand platform and TiVo® Service, as well as via mobile and online.
Virgin Media Movies
Virgin Media boasts the best and widest collection of films of any TV provider in the UK. From 3D blockbusters and classic feature films, to Bollywood movies and short films – Virgin Media has over 1,000 movies available on demand at any one time, as well as a wide selection of film channels covering a variety of genres.
About Bradford, City of Film: In June 2009 Bradford became the World's first UNESCO City of Film. Bradford successfully bid for the title by showcasing its rich heritage in film production and its significant contribution to the film industry's technical development; its inspirational film locations and its diverse society; its celebration of film and commitment to sharing understanding and enjoyment of film through the National Media Museum and the City's annual film festivals.
The UNESCO designation recognises Bradford City of Film's aim to use the popularity and accessibility of film to all as a major tool for regeneration, cultural development and social inclusion.