Guide
Your Guide to the Cambridge Film Festival
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How our Festival works
If you love film, we’ll see you in Cambridge in September.
For those of you who are new to Festivals or to the Cambridge Film Festival (CFF) itself, welcome to a celebration of cinema from across the world, with opportunities for you to see films you couldn’t even begin to imagine, that you probably otherwise wouldn’t even get to hear of! For 11 days in September, CFF effectively takes over the much-loved 3 screen cinema in the heart of the city, the Arts Picturehouse, with a jam-packed screening schedule plus special events throughout the day and evening. We also set up at other venues across the city, both indoor and outdoor, so that you get to enjoy as many great films and new experiences as possible, as well as see more of Cambridge. Most films are priced at usual cinema ticket prices, but there are also free events and offers so that you have no excuse to miss out!
Whilst it is mainly about the films (and why not, with a line up 150 or so big-name features, incredible documentaries, bizarre animated short films or short films from ‘the next Danny Boyle’, inspiring stories from a far flung corner of the globe, and revivals of past-loves like Hitchcock classics or undeservedly-forgotten greats), there’s also so much more on offer! Each year a range of interesting guests attend, often to answer questions from the audience about their film, or to take part in a special discussion or provide extra talents like musical accompaniment. So far we’ve seen John Hurt, Gary Oldman, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Stephen Frears, Michael Palin, Mitchell and Webb, Paddy Considine, Nicholas Winding Refn, and a host of other talents walk through our doors. Plus there are worksops, talks, unique events and a great atmosphere in the city and especially in the Arts Picturehouse bar!
Choosing what to see
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer number and range of films on offer each year, so here are our tips on how to make sure you can confidently select what to see regardless of your schedule and budget!
- Take some time to enjoy reading our brochure or browsing the website
- Look at our Strands – films grouped together for interesting reasons, for example to celebrate a legendary director, or an important moment of cinema history, or something else altogether – CFF2011 had a strand called ‘Hold the Front Page!’ offering an eclectic group of films themed on the Press, including the thriller Zodiac starring Jake Gyllenhall and Robert Downey Jr, the new documentaries Tabloid and Inside the New York Times (which went on to win awards), and classic film Ace in the Hole.
- If you’ve got kids, you should definitely look out for the easy-going, value-for-money weekend screenings & activities that are the Cambridge Family Film Festival
- Subscribe to our e-newsletter for occasional ‘hot picks’ and event announcements, as well as keeping up to date via Twitter (or Facebook, if that’s your thing).
- Procrastinate by checking out film clips and trailers either on our website or on our Youtube channel.
- Circle your choices on the Festival timetable (in our printed/online programme brochure) and book ahead to avoid disappointment!
We’ll see you there.
