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Search forBay will be laughing all the way to film festival
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 10:41
The packed programme of events and screenings will take place this September as part of the inaugural International Comedy Film Festival.
It includes the premiere of new movie Snappers, starring Joss Stone, which was shot in and around South Devon.
The four-day spectacular will also see screenings taking place in some unusual venues including The Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey, which is being converted into 175-seater cinema.
Tourism boss Aviva Pearson said "This brand new festival is the perfect way to celebrate our comic heritage here on the English Riviera. There will be a huge variety of funny films screened.
"There will be films for all ages, of all eras, from differing countries and in a range of venues as well as workshops, lectures and the Eat My Shorts competition," she said.
"With so much going on, the event will appeal to locals and tourists alike and its success will firmly cement this destination on the comedy map of Britain."
Filmmaker Peter Richardson, who lives in the South Hams, will be introducing the first and last Comic Strip Presents features, followed by a question and answer session.
The brilliant Five Go Mad In Dorset will be followed by Four Men In A Plane on the opening night of the festival.
BAFTA nominated Paul Andrew Williams will be introducing his comedy horror masterpiece The Cottage, again followed by a chance for the public to quiz him on his creation.
The Palace Theatre in Paignton will be showing a selection of black and white silent celluloid gems, accompanied by some of the UK's leading women composers.
Clowning Glories: Women in Comedy Film Before 1930 will feature live music specifically commissioned for the screenings and introduced by a surprise guest.
Austin Powers International Man of Mystery will be shown on an 18-metre wide screen, the drive-in movie event taking place at Broadsands, with the soundtrack being transmitted to car stereos.
Also the Groovy Movie Solar Powered Cinema will be touching down on Torre Abbey Meadows for the duration of the festival. Housed in a 45ft diameter round custom-built tent, the cinema makes both a quirky and educational place to screen the very best in indie comedy. The tent seats 150 people and it will be the venue for the screening the finalists of the short comedy film competition.
Other venues will include Kents Cavern, Torquay Museum and The Blue Walnut.
Tickets are on sale now from tourist information centres or at www.icff.co.uk where the full list of shows and events is now online.
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