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2.
April
2014.
London Luton Airport named as headline sponsor of St Albans Film Festival
London Luton Airport named as headline sponsor of St Albans Film Festival
London Luton Airport confirmed as headline sponsor for 2014 event
- London Luton Airport confirmed as Headline Sponsor
- The festival will take place from 1 - 4 May 2014
- Birds & Flight announced as the theme for this year's festival, including Women
- Christiane Kubrick is Patron
- Ancient cathedral will screen opening feature film
- Over 300 entries from across globe already received for short film competition
St Albans Film Festival 2014 has announced that London Luton Airport will be the headline sponsor for its second festival, taking place from 1 – 4 May.
Following the resounding success of last year’s festival, this year it is soaring to new heights, with a theme of Birds & Flight, which is of particular relevance to London Luton Airport .
Due to take place in the historic Cathedral City from 1st – 4th May, 2014, over 100 films will be shown at various locations across St Albans, including a one-off screening in the magnificent 11th century Cathedral to open the Festival.
Festival director, Leoni Kibbey, said: “We’ve had a tremendous response from film makers this year, with over 300 entries from across the globe already received in the short film competition.
“Given the Birds & Flight theme, it makes perfect sense to be putting on the Festival in association with London Luton Airport , which has been an important landmark in the local area for over 75 years and has been integral in the lives of many local people, both as employer and a gateway to the sun.”
Chika Austin, Community Relations Executive, London Luton Airport , said: “We know a thing or two about flying here at the Airport so we are delighted to be involved in this year’s Film Festival. This unique event, which brings together people from all over the world in celebration of culture and community engagement is something that we strongly support.
“What’s more, the festival promotes inward investment in the region and resonates with our own Community Engagement Strategy. It’s really great to see such inspiring projects being brought to the area for local young people get involved in.”
The festival will once again be supported by its first Patron, Christiane Kubrick, wife of the late Stanley Kubrick, who lived and filmed much of his work in the area. A full programme of events, including the opening film to be screened at St Albans Cathedral, will be announced shortly.
-ENDS-
About St Albans and filmmaking:
- The cathedral city of St Albans in Hertfordshire is just 20 minutes from St Pancras International and has a strong filmmaking heritage which inspired the festival director Leoni Kibbey, actress and casting director, to create the city's first film festival last year.
- Arthur Melbourne-Cooper who, in 1895, developed the first British 35mm moving picture camera and was a pioneer in making moving pictures, was born in the City.
- The much celebrated Stanley Kubrick also came to settle in the area, in which he created and produced some of his most famous work, including The Shining
- The city's Roman aesthetic has been used as a backdrop to many films: St Albans Cathedral was a film location in Sean Connery's 1995 film First Knight, and in Johnny English starring Rowan Atkinson.
- The 2001 film Birthday Girl starring Nicole Kidman was also partly filmed in St Albans .
- More recently, several scenes from the film Incendiary, starring Williams, Ewan and Matthew Macfadyen, were filmed in St Albans, and Tom Cruise has recently filmed his new movie with Emily Blunt, All You Need is Kill, in the area.
- St Albans is in close proximity to some of the best and busiest film studios in the world - Leavesden, Pinewood and Elstree.
About London Luton Airport
- London Luton Airport is one of the UK ’s largest airports and carried 9.7 million passengers in 2013.
- The Airport directly and indirectly employs over 600 and 8,000 staff respectively, is a key economic driver for the region and a major base for ‘low cost’ air travel.
- easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Monarch, Thomson, EL AL, Atlasjet, Blue Air, TAROM and Carpatair operate from the Airport, departing to over 100 destinations across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa .
- Since 2009 London Luton Airport has invested £250,000 into an independently administered Community Trust Fund which has helped 101 groups with 13,300 direct beneficiaries. In addition the airport’s owner, London Luton Airport Limited, supported by its shareholder, Luton Borough Council, operates a Community Funding Programme investing millions of pounds each year into the local community. In 2014/15 the amount is expected to exceed £17 million.
"The best thing that young filmmakers should do is to get hold of a camera and some film and make a movie of any kind at all."
STANLEY KUBRICK