Events

AWARD-WINNING director Michael Bergmann added the most unlikeliest notch on his global film festival belt this week – the top Tammie.

The Montreal favourite, famous for spotting new talents like Calista Flopckhart and re-igniting the flames of established actors such as Man from U.N.C.L.E. Robert Vaughn, took the Best in Festival at Tamworth’s inaugural Heart of England International event for his movie Tied To A Chair.

Read more: Michael’s in the top director’s ‘chair’

TAMWORTH’S claimed a slice of cinematic history at the weekend – with the invention of a new word in the movie-making dictionary.

The town’s staging of the highly-successful, week-long Heart of England International Film festival, reached a dizzy climax on Friday night at the Oscar-style gala awards banquet in the Castle Hotel.

Some 160 film-makers from the four corners of the globe, special guests including Bond and Star Wars actor Jeremy Bulloch plus town business heads and civic leaders packed the Tudor Suite for the glitzy event.

Read more: Tammies grab movie spotlight

Organisers are hopeful there will be gold in ‘them thar reels’ as the film-making debutants press their case for Hollywood recognition.

Read more: Gala Awards: A night of special effects

The international gala awards will be under the firm control of a man who has his work cut out trying to keep Radio 2 jocks Ken Bruce, Chris Evans and John Walker in order.

Read more: News of the cine world

Monday June 8

• The Aucott Holdings-sponsored Heart of England International Film Festival gets underway with screening from 10am-5pm each day(Monday-Friday) at the Casa bar and The Globe, Lower Gungate .

It’s a return to the days of the silver screen for the former Palace picture house - an ideal venue with a full-size cinema screen - PLUS the Globe public house next door has a separate hospitality room.

The Globe is one of Tamworth’s oldest pubs, dating back to Victorian times, which today houses an eclectic mix from the young to the pensioner brigade who lunch their every day.

Remember ALL the weekday screenings have FREE entry.

• In the evening there will be a launch party at Tamworth Castle, hosted by Tamworth Borough Council.

Tuesday June 9

• Screening starts again at 10am in the two screening venues.

• Festival director Nick Hudson’s Alternative Town Tour of historic Tamworth for film-makers, festival guests and townsfolk kicks off from Tamworth’s old Town Hall at 1pm

Wednesday June 10

• Screening starts again at 10am in the two screening venues.

• Justin Golding, whose latest film submission to the festival The Gods of Circumstance is a movie starring actor John Schneider - ex Dukes of Hazard (Bo Duke) and Smallville (Jonathan Kent, father of Superman Clarke Kent) - to do Scripts & Screenwriting workshop at Costa Coffee shop in George Street, Tamworth, from 12noon-4pm while American 9/11 TV anchorwoman Indira Somani will host a workshop at Wilnecote High School.

• The town is getting its own Tinseltown Tamworth Night when local film-makers who have submitted their entries to the festival get the chance to show their wares. It’s free-to-view for movie lovers and being staged at Tamworth’s Castle Hotel in two screening arenas from 7pm.

Thursday June 11

•  Screening starts again at 10am in the two screening venues.

• Justin Golding to do Directing and Acting Workshop at Costa Coffee shop in George Street, Tamworth on from 12noon-4pm with a group from Wilnecote High School.

• HeartBeat House Media, in conjunction with the town’s 140-year-old newspaper the Tamworth Herald, is bringing the story of Tamworth’s most famous World War II hero to festival week.

The Enigma film, starring Kate Winslet and based on local seaman Colin Grazier’s epic de-coding drama, will be shown in a FREE screening at the Castle Hotel from 7pm.

For book lovers – former Herald deputy editor Phil Shanahan will have plenty of copies of his best-seller The Real Enigma Heroes on offer during the event.

Friday June 12

• Screening starts again at 10am in the two screening venues.

•  Star Wars bounty Hunter Boba Fett (actor Jeremy Bulloch) will be among special guests at the glittering Gala Awards and banquet in the evening at Castle Hotel, Tamworth, with an Oscar-style Hearty for 24 categories of the festival including Best Film (presented by Aucott Holdings) and a special Tamworth Tinsletown Award (presented by Tamworth Borough Council) for the best movie either made by someone from, or who works or lives in, the town.

All the festival gongs will be presented by the award category sponsors on the night.

BBC 2 broadcaster Jim Lee will host the awards evening.

The festival has also been backed by MGM sponsors Asda, Tamworth and SP Green jewellers, Birmingham; Paramount sponsors the Taroni family; the Peninsular restaurant, Fazeley and PAST Ltd.

Saturday June 13

•  Special one-day screening at Bosworth Battlefield visitor centre in the Heritage Room and in a special marquee on the field from 10am-5pm for the last of the films and sometime during this day it is hoped to break the UK’s 2009 record for biggest number of movies screened in a week.

•  Festival finale of charity premiere screening of award-winning director Andrew Silver’s love story Radio Cape Cod, starring Tamzin Outhwaite, Tamzin Merchant and OT Fagbenle at the ODEON Cinema from 6.30pm with an optional black tie theme where all monies will go to good causes split between the ODEON’s national charity NSPCC and Tamworth Mayor’s charity, St Giles Hospice. Touch Radio will host the evening.

• Tickets for Friday’s and Saturday’s events can still be obtained from the Tourist Information Centre, Market Street; the Odeon cinema, Tamworth and the festival shop in Ankerside.

Read more: Charity night of the stars in festival finale