St Albans Film Festival

8 March 2013, 12:34 | Updated: 11 March 2013, 12:35

St Albans may not have a cinema, but that's not stopped the city hosting its first ever Film Festival.

The three-day event between Friday 8 March and Sunday 10 March 2013 saw films shown at places like bookshops, churches, a museum and The Maltings arts theatre.

The event celebrated Hertfordshire's historic links with the film industry.  Director Stanley Kubrick lived in the St Albans area. The Elstree and Pinewood film studios are nearby.

A film celebrating the night in August 2012 that Tom Cruise went out for a curry in St Albans was also shown during the festival.

The festival was opened by Stanley Kubrick's widow Christiane on Friday 8 March.

Stanley created some of his most famous work in the St Albans area. His house, Childwickbury Manor, was used as a nerve centre for his film productions: The Shining was finished there, and Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut were started and completed there.
 
The festival kicked off with the screening of the feature film Vinyl. Director Sara Sugarman introduced the film at the screening.
 
Before the festival opened, Leoni Kibbey, Film Festival Director, said: "I am thrilled that two such significant women in the world of filmmaking are going to be part of the opening day, on International Women's Day, too. Kubrick is such an iconic name and we are honoured to have Christiane open our festival. Sara Sugarman's film Vinyl is a wonderful warm story about the music industry and I am delighted to welcome her to St Albans ahead of the film's UK release."
 
The closing film of the festival was Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, directed by Jan Harlan, Christiane’s brother and one of Kubrick's producers on Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut. He gave a talk about filmmaking at the festival.
 
Speaking about the significance of the St Albans Film Festival, Jan said: "This lovely city of St Albans is anaemic when it comes to film culture – and this is the city where Stanley Kubrick lived for 20 years. I applaud the efforts of Leoni and her team of organisers."
 
Other famous names at the festival included legendary stuntman Roy Scammell, who was the stunt double for Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only and Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye.