Hinterlands Film Festival, Skipton

Hinterlands Film Festival at Plaza Cinema, Skipton, 16–19 May 2019, from £6.5 - Book now

There’s always room for another film festival, as evidenced by the arrival of Hinterlands, a new event from outdoor arts organisation Wild Rumpus and the Great Place: Lakes and Dales programme. Set in the picturesque landscapes of Skipton, Hinterlands Film Festival focuses on rural film with a schedule of screenings, immersive experiences and performances inspired by iconic moments in cinema.

Described as “far more than an ordinary film festival” by Artistic Director Geoff Bird, Hinterlands opens with a 50^th anniversary screening of Ken Loach’s iconic Kes at Skipton Castle. A fitting opener, the Yorkshire-set film about a young boy and his kestrel will be followed by a launch party open to all ticket-holders. From there Hinterlands takes over Skipton’s 107-year-old Plaza Cinema for a run of classic and brand new films set in and celebrating rural landscapes.

The programme includes recent blockbusting documentary Free Solo, about rock climber Alex Honnold attempts to scale the famed El Capitan rock face at Yosemite National Park without using a safety rope; Alice Rohrwacher’s magnificently mysterious Italian drama Happy as Lazzaro; and Francis Lee acclaimed God’s Own Country – an award-winning depiction of a romance between a young sheep farmer in Yorkshire and a Romanian migrant worker.

The isolation of woods and wilderness have inspired filmmakers forever, and horror fans can bunker down with an all-night marathon scheduled to showcase all the darkness and menace of rural cinema on Saturday 18 May. Things are a little lighter outside of the theatre, as Hinterlands invite audiences to camp out for a special screening of Wes Anderson’s pithy scouting comedy Moonrise Kingdom army marquee at Aireville Park, whilst a showing of Taika Waititi’s riotous Hunt for The Wilderpeople inspires a free treasure hunt.

Poignantly – and somewhat joyfully – Skipton Plaza Cinema are hosting an interactive sing-along of the Doris Day classic, Calamity Jane.

Beyond the films themselves, festivalgoers can glean wisdom from industry professionals as Geoff Bird hosts a discussion featuring a panel of award-winning location experts. Meanwhile, there’s a chance to get hands on with a stage combat workshop, and an Animation Workshop hosted by Wallace and Gromit animator Virpi Kettu where budding creatives can create their own stop motion animations based on films inspired by Skipton’s local cinematic scenery.