FILM FESTIVAL IS HEATING UP
Tickets for Boiling Point, one of the highlights of Bridport’s From Page To Screen film festival, are selling fast.
This critically-acclaimed film achieves the rare cinematic feat of being recorded in a single unbroken shot, a thrilling technique that perfectly reflects its story of the personal and professional pressure cooker of a big restaurant on its busiest night of the year. It stars Stephen Graham as a head chef in crisis and will be followed by a Q&A between the festival’s guest curator, broadcaster Edith Bowman, and the restaurateur Mark Hix.
After choosing catering over metalwork at Colfox School, Mark studied catering at Weymouth College before a lauded London career that took him from traditional restaurants like the Grosvenor House and Dorchester Hotels to head chef at just 22 years old at the group that created The Ivy and Le Caprice. He remained there for 17 years as Chef Director before opening his own group of HIX restaurants in 2008, which closed as a result of the pandemic in 2020.
He now owns The Oyster and Fish House in Lyme Regis and the Fox Inn Pub in Corscombe back in his native Dorset. In addition to his weekly recipe feature in the Telegraph magazine every Saturday, he also regularly writes for Dorset Magazine, Marshwood Vale and The Conduit.
Edith is looking forward to hearing how much Mark thinks the film reflects reality and says of this one shot wonder;
“Boiling Point is a film that will blow your mind. I grew up in a hotel and I think the way they have captured the pressure of that environment is fantastic. The performances are knock-out with Stephen Graham once again showing how incredible he is. And Vinette Robinson is so captivating.”
Director Philip Barantini based the film on his own experiences as an actor-turned-chef, “as much as I wanted to live off my acting career it wasn’t quite enough and I needed to earn a living on the side. So for 12 years I worked in kitchens, up from the bottom to being a head chef. Along the way I personally witnessed the sorts of people and drama you see in the movie. You’re seeing a sort of amalgamation of people I personally know, or even parts of myself and how I felt working in that industry.”
Boiling Point is one of several festival films based on autobiographical stories, including The Long Day Closes (5pm Thursday April 28), Terence Davies’ lyrical depiction of how the fabulous escapism of the movie theatres transported him from the austerity of his 1950s Liverpool childhood, and Flee (5pm Friday April 29) the award-winning new animated documentary about an Afghani refugee’s buried memories of his dramatic escape to Europe. Flee will be followed by a talk with local landlord Tom Littledyke whose project to take convoys of humanitarian aid from West Dorset to the refugee camps on the Ukraine border has attracted international news coverage.
Ex BBC documentary maker Ines Cavill from the From Page To Screen Committee says;
‘We were especially keen to feature documentary and memoir in From Page To Screen this year – but more than anything we’re delighted to be sharing so many brilliant films with the festival’s lively, live audiences again. It feels like a chance to have a big catch up with the big screen, and this year’s festival offers mean film fans can immerse themselves in the first 2 films of every day for just £20 or see all 20 screenings for £50. Getting these special offers is also a great way to support Bridport’s film festival for years to come.”
Curator Edith Bowan is also looking forward to watching great cinema together again, ‘We all have so much instant access to see films at home. But to see something on the big screen, especially an older film is such a great experience.’
Edith’s selection of favourite films for her Soundtracking Through The Decades programme includes Shaft, City Of God, On The Waterfront, the original West Side Story, Under The Skin and King Kong. She will introduce the Eighties gem Paris Texas at 4.30pm on Saturday April 30 plus Spencer at 8pm Friday April 29 as the 2020s soundtrack choice for its distinctive score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. The festival closes with its oldest treasure; the 1927 Hitchcock classic The Lodger which will have a live score played by the pianist and BAC director Mick Smith.
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Boiling Point is screening at 8pm on Saturday April 30 at the Bridport Arts Centre.
The From Page To Screen film festival runs from Wednesday April 27 till Sunday May 1.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.bridport-arts.com or in person from Bridport’s Tourist Information Centre.
festival deals :
All Film Society 11am plus the classics at 2pm for £20, save up to £40
Access to entire festival of 20 films for £50, save up to £90
See www.frompagetoscreen.info for full programme details.