Visit Bath and Enjoy Bath Film Festival

The 26th Bath Film Festival began on the 3^rd of this month, and will run until the 13^th of November. Its aim is to screen great films that, because they’re a little unusual, aren’t being shown in mainstream cinemas. As well as screening documentaries, Classics, Pan-Asian, family and Bath Debut films, there’s also the festival’s F-rated films; a rating which they developed three years ago to “shine a light on great films with women at the helm”.    

We’ve had a look through the amazing programme for the festival and these are just a few of our top picks.

Bath The Movie – Saturday 5^th and Sunday 6^th November, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 3:30, 4:00pm, Bath Visitor Centre  

The world-famous Natural Theatre Company are hosting a 60-minute walking tour around Bath, celebrating its history as a film location for films of all genres throughout the years. The tour will take you around central locations in Bath where familiar characters will come together to make one big story with “a hilarious and dramatic twist”. Intriguing!

Lady Macbeth – Sunday 6^th November, 8:30pm, Odeon

This film was one of the big hits at Toronto’s 2016 International Film Festival. It has little connection to Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, apart from the main character’s ruthlessness, and is instead about a young lady who is married off to a middle aged man when she is only 19. He has no interest in her and she soon wreaks havoc among the servants of the house – venting her frustration on one and beginning an affair with another.

The Duchess – Thursday 10^th November, 6:00pm, The Assembly Rooms  

This film was partially shot in Bath, and one poignant scene was filmed on the balcony of the Tea Room, below which this screening will take place. Talk about atmosphere. Also as part of the event a Finnish ‘sceneframing’ duo will be aligning a screenshot from this aforementioned scene with the original background used in the film, and sharing tips on how to sceneframe your favourite film scenes.  

Swallows and Amazons – Saturday 12^th November, 6:00pm, Odeon

A recent adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s classic children’s story, but this is a screening with a difference. A Q&A with the director and scriptwriter will follow the screening; “allowing the audience to quiz them about the choices they made in adapting so popular a book, and how they approached the challenge of satisfying fans of the source material.” A beautiful film with an amazing behind-the-scenes opportunity.  

A United Kingdom – Sunday 13^th November, 8:40pm, Odeon

A preview screening of an incredible film. It tells the story of Seretse Khama, Prince of Botswana, who came to Britain during his 20s, and just after World War II, to continue his education. He met a young Englishwoman and they fell in love. The problem being that neither South Arica nor Britain wanted the marriage to take place… An unmissable film and a great opportunity to see it before its general release.