The Cumbrian-based Aerial Festival are joining forces with the Inward Eye Film Festival to host Zeffirellis Cinema, i a major weekend of music, film and talks in the town of Ambleside this November. Taking place on the weekend of the 8th to the 11th of that month, Aerial will see a live performance of composer Erland Cooper’s Carve the Runes Then be Content with Silence with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, to be broadcast on Elizabeth Alker’s Unclassified Radio 3 show. There’s also going to be a screening of classic ‘gone on holiday by mistake’ Lakeland film Withnail & I, with tQ’s own Luke Turner interviewing Paul McGann (who of course played “I” in the film) at the screening – this is taking place in the same screen at the same cinema that hosted the premiere back in 1987. Also in a cinema will be a showing of forthcoming film The Outrun, based on Amy Liptrot’s memoir of the same name. McGann will also be taking place in a special Gala event to close the festival, details of which will be announced in the coming months. There’s also a strong emphasis on community participation: on the Sunday, the Propellor ensemble are inviting anyone to come and “help shape a brand new composition”, while Mark McGann will host the Inward Eye Short Film competition that’s open to all, under the theme Mixing Mediums. Please visit the festival website on information on how to enter.
Sam Hunt of Aerial says, “We had originally hoped to stage a festival way back in 2020 but plans were paused because of the pandemic, despite that our audience donated over £4k to Ambleside food bank. So it is great that with our partners at BBC Radio 3, Zeffirellis and Inward Eye and valued support from Westmorland and Furness Council we are able to start again. We think Aerial is quite unlike any other festival, its purpose is to celebrate this incredible area as a place of contemporary inspiration and it is a dream to at the beginning of something we believe will quickly become important for the area and our community.” For tickets and more information please visit the Aerial website.
