Film events in Hastings will honour the genius of Powell and Pressburger

Spokeswoman Annie Mannion said: “Starting on Saturday 4 November is the new Powell and Pressburger film season at the bijou Hastings venue The Electric Palace cinema.

“The season is part of a major UK-wide celebration of one the greatest and most enduring filmmaking partnerships: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s, with their influence still being felt in cinema at large well into the 21st century.

“In the season of screenings coming up at the Electric Palace in Hastings Old Town before the end of the year, see original Powell and Pressburger classics, learn about their craft in filmmaking and ‘zine-making workshops, and enjoy a selection of modern films which bear the hallmark of their impact on filmmaking beyond the pair's generation. An eclectic spectrum of upcoming screenings and events awaits including special guest introductions from film critics, and even live film ‘VJ’ mixing.”

Pamela Hutchinson, film historian and columnist for Sight & Sound magazine, will be introducing a selection of films in the season at the Electric Palace cinema. She said: “The films of Powell and Pressburger create their own special universe – a place vast enough to include life on earth and beyond, as well as an enchanted realm of fantasy, spirituality and magic. I'm delighted that audiences in Hastings will be able to spend some time in this very special cinematic world."

Powell and Pressburger 2023 screenings line-up:

• Sat 4 November, 2.30pm Filming in Technicolour: Filmmaking workshop at Hastings Contemporary. A fun, informal workshop for filmmakers and film lovers alike taking place at Hastings Contemporary venue. “We'll look at the colour and framing of Powell and Pressburger films and go out into Hastings Old Town using our phones, iPads or cameras to take our own images and celebrate the colour in our lives," says Rebecca E Marshall, filmmaker and tutor on the course.

• Sat 4 November 2.30pm Free - Wes Anderson-style ‘zine workshop. Led by local artist Tiger-lily Martinez, make your own lo-fi zines and badges, all inspired by Wes Anderson, who in turn was inspired by Powell and Pressburger films and aesthetics.

• Sat 4 November, 7.30pm – Student Saturdays Wes Anderson night: The Grand Budapest Hotel plus added extras. The first Student Saturdays night devised and curated by people under 25 to explore the influence of Powell and Pressburger on contemporary filmmakers today. Screening open to all.

• Sunday 5 November, 11am – A Matter of Life and Death plus introduction from Pamela Hutchinson, film historian and Sight & Sound columnist. Classic Powell and Pressburger fantasy-romance starring David Niven and Kim Hunter.

• Wednesday 8 November, 7.30pm – Let’s Talk Film: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Powell and Pressburger. Film historian Ben Newell takes you through a journey into the world of Powell and Pressburger. Whether you’re a budding cinephile or a completely fresh to the work of Powell and Pressburger, share your love for cinema through informal discussion and take a closer look at the pair who called the shots and crafted cinema experiences that have enthralled generations of moviegoers.

• Saturday 18 November, 7.30pm: Student Saturdays: Greta Gerwig night with Lady Bird and surprise extras. The second Student Saturdays event, devised and curated by under 25s to explore the influence of Powell and Pressburger on contemporary filmmakers, for this event focused on the films of Greta Gerwig and the music of Kate Bush. Screening open to all.

• Sunday 19 November, 11am - I Know Where I'm Going! With live VJ film mix and guest introduction from film critic Pamela Hutchinson. One of the most deeply, passionately romantic dramas of all time. Plus, it’s just one of the many great representations of feisty women and girls from the Powell and Pressburger oeuvre.

• Saturday 2 December, 7.30pm: Student Saturdays: The Queer Worlds of Powell and Pressburger. Queer Worlds will focus on the representation of LGBTQIA+ characters and themes in the films of Powell and Pressburger.

• Sunday 3 December, 11am Black Narcissus with Q&A. Acclaimed psychological drama about a group of nuns trying to establish a convent in the Himalayas. Another cinematic jewel from Powell and Pressburger.

• Friday 8 December, 7.30pm Christmas Film Quiz. A great fun night for both high-brow film nerds and Blockbuster fanatics alike! Includes a special Powell and Pressburger-themed round.

• Saturday 16 December, 7.30pm Student Saturdays: The Cinema of Excess in Powell and Pressburger. The final Student Saturday in the season, devised and curated by under 25s. The Cinema of Excess will focus on the work of acclaimed filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.

• Sunday 17 December, 11am The Red Shoes with introductions by Glenys Jacques and film critic Pamela Hutchinson. Based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale, a young ballerina is torn between her art and her romance with a young composer. The Red Shoes is regarded as one of the best films of Powell and Pressburger's partnership and one of the greatest films of all time.

About the Powell and Pressburger season, co-director of The Electric Palace cinema, Julia Andrews-Clifford, said: "Everyone knows about Hitchcock, for example, as a great British director, but much fewer know about Powell and Pressburger, and this season is a chance to remedy that - especially helping younger audiences to see how their influence has reached contemporary directors like Greta Gerwig, Wes Anderson, Baz Luhrmann, Joanna Hogg, Damien Chazelle and Martin Scorsese. We hope that by being part of this UK-wide celebration we can make them household names again and celebrate their mammoth filmmaking achievements."

Learn more about the upcoming screenings and events during The Electric Palace’s Powell and Pressburger Season 2023.

https://www.electricpalacecinema.com/latest/the-creative-worlds-of-powell-and-pressburger

Screening as part of Cinema Unbound: The Creative Worlds of Powell + Pressburger, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network.