Confirmation has been received that the new opening film for the festival is Little White Lies, a French comedy-drama. Described by Empire magazine as having “a gorgeous cast, irreverent humour and beautifully drawn characters”, the film is funny, emotional and thought-provoking – all in a beautiful setting – to fit in with a light-hearted opening evening.

FREE PRESENT! Don’t forget, the opening evening offers a glass of wine, some delicious nibbles, a short musical film, the main film AND, just announced, a goody bag from our gold sponsor, the Margaret Balfour Beauty Centre, so you’ll come out feeling and looking even better than when you go in! What a treat!

The programme has been printed and the tickets are available from the tourist office. Ready to go…and what happens? The film distributing company for our opening film “A Separation” advises us that the DVD production has been put back by one month! So no film! It is a great shame as there is no doubt you would have found the film a fascinating insight into a country we know little about.

Nevertheless, there are many other spectacular films waiting in the wings and the question now is which one? We have narrowed it down to two and hopefully we will be able to announce which one it is as soon as the distributor has confirmed it is available – for sure!

Keep watching – and let’s start again! (In the meantime do get your other tickets from the tourist office).

This very special evening will set the scene for the festival during the following three days. Enjoy a festival drink and some nibbles before taking your seat for the official opening by Marjorie Snowden, Sherborne town mayor. Hear about the highlights to come and get in the mood with a short, colourful animated film of Rossini’s overture of The Italian Girl in Algiers– its first screening in theUK.

The main feature film this evening, A Separation, has been made possible by the kind permission of the British Film Institute, prior to its general DVD release.

Tickets for this charitable event are £10 and available from the Tourist Office from the end of September.

All of our films have now been confirmed, with thanks in particular to the British Film Institute who managed to arrange an advance copy of the film for our Official Opening on Thursday 20th October. The flim in question is:

A Separation. This Iranian film is the first-ever winner of three Bears from the Berlin Film Festival held earlier this year. It is a fascinating film that keeps you wondering what will happen next.

The official opening is beng held a day early and we hope that you will join us for a glass of wine and something to eat while being presented with this year’s programme – prior to our opening film.

The other film that has been confirmed is French Cancan – a 1954 French musical directed by Jean Renoir. This is a newly remastered version and the story of the beginning of the Moulin Rouge is as colourful and engaging as you would expect.

The dates have been confirmed from Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd October. Notice anything? Yes, we are extending the festival by one day to allow a gala opening on the Thursday evening. We hope to make it something very special so keep checking the website.

HOT NEWS: We have just had confirmation that we shall be able to show SENNA – this amazing documentary about the life of Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian Formula I racing driver is a magnificent film. Regardless of whether you like motor racing or not, this dramatic story is utterly gripping and the cinematography is superb, including home video footage, official sports commentary and incredible film from cameras mounted on the race-car. This is definitely a film not to be missed!

Keep watching the website for the latest news.

The 2010 programme is still available for you to look at and reflect on.

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