Film Festival and Pendle Hill. Some time ago I was asked to be judge for the 45th Burnley Film Festival. In total 19 films were entered. Some completely excellent, many just great and all with some merit. I watched all of them at least four times, then once more at the festival itself. I wrote some 6,000 words of deliberation on them all. Erring always on the side of positive. Even the least well constructed film deserved not to be shot to pieces. Least of all by me.
Being so far from home (180 miles) we made a couple of nights of it. Staying at Fence just north of Burnley with the event itself held in Higham , a gorgeous Pennine village. We were well looked after by the organisers and the films played to a full house. I got to read my verdict then announce and present the winners. Dinner at the splendid Fence Gate on Saturday and Sunday morning a walk up Pendle hill – long since on my checklist of hills to climb. On such a fine Sunday morning, so many others also had the same idea. This didn’t detract from an excellent weekend away.
