Bath Film Festival

Bath Film Festival was established in 1991, in Bath, England, by members of the Bath Film Society.

In 1992, with funding from the local authority and other art groups, they saw a great expansion of their program, including participatory workshops and other special events such as live music accompaniments to silent films, which have been featured in the program ever since.

In 1997 the festival was registered as a non profit-distributing limited company and in May of 2000 it was registered as a charitable organisation by the Charity Commission.

With the limitations of a once-a-year event, the festival began exploring ways of extending its activities with an outreach program. This was launched in September of 2001, utilising portable equipment to take the cinema experience out to communities which have limited or no immediate access to film.

In 2003 the festival saw its first venture into outdoor cinema. In partnership with the Holburne Museum, Steven Spielberg's ET - The Extra-Terrestrial was shown to over 600 people who turned up to enjoy the experience, picnicking on the lawn before the start of the film.

In 2004 as 'Project!' and in collaboration with "MediaArt Bath" and "Suited + Booted Community Video", the festival successfully applied to the UK Film Council for funds to provide an integrated digital cinema facility, which has enabled the festival to greatly expand outreach and partnership working. The festival is now able to show films on a big screen in almost any environment and for just about any audience imaginable.

In 17 years the festival has shown about 650 films, most of which would never have made it to Bath were it not for the festival's work. The festival is still seeking to establish itself as a nationally recognised film festival.

Bath Film Festival Members

As of the Bath Film Festival 2007:
*Honorary President: Prof. Sir Christopher Frayling
*Festival Patrons: Jim Broadbent, Peter Gabriel, Ken Loach, Amanda Nevill, Pawel Pawlikowski, Thelma Schoonmaker, Stephen Woolley
*Festival Mentor Group: Ed Fletcher, Stephen Frears, Ken Loach, Simon Relph, Paul Weiland, Stephen Woolley.
*Chair: Philip Raby
*Executive Director: Stuart Fiddes
*Trustees: Stuart Fiddes, Alastair Goolden, Philip Raby, Kay Terry
*Management Board: Caroline Allen, Annie Beardsley, Alex Chapman, Elena Hill, Nigel Locker, Val Lyon
*Festval Co-ordinator: Chris Baker
*A.M.I.E. Curator: Elena Hill
*Documentary Curator: Alex Chapman
*Polish Strand Curator: Stuart Fiddes
*Marketing and Publicity: Charlotte Eager
*Film Booker: Emily Richardson
*Festival Assistant: Caroline Thibeaud

External links

* [http://www.bathfilmfestival.org.uk Official Website for the Bath Film Festival]
* [http://visitbath.co.uk/site/whats-on/bath-film-festival-2007-p79981 Visit Bath]