17 Apr Barwell sponsoring this year’s Kingston International Film Festival

Barwell Business Park is sponsoring the Kingston International Film Festival (KIFF) 2023.

Running from 23 to 25 June, the event will feature screenings of both shorts and feature films along with workshops, networking sessions, an industry panel and awards programme. Actor Dame Vanessa Redgrave is a festival patron along with director/producer Mike Newell.

KIFF is partnering with Ciné Schools, the grassroots organisation giving primary school children the opportunity to make films. Workshops for eight to 11-year-olds will take place during the festival and young people’s talents showcased with a screening at the Kingston Odeon.

Alexandra Sorrill, Asset Manager at Aviva Investors, said: “As a major employer in the area, we are keen supporters of the borough’s culture programme. KIFF is unique in the way it supports the British film industry and it is a privilege for it to take place right here in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.”

Last year’s inaugural KIFF was a three-day event across five venues, screening 99 films with 12 workshops, 17 Q&As, five talks, three networking sessions and an industry panel.

An outdoor screening of a yet-to-be-decided family film in Canbury Gardens on the evening of Saturday 24 June, will be a new addition to this year’s festival.

David Cunningham, KIFF Founder and Festival Director, said: “We now have an inaugural festival under our belts and all of the team have been elated with the feedback from filmmakers, industry professionals and audiences alike.

He added: “Our long-term ambition is to build the festival into an internationally recognised event that showcases the work of the world’s leading independent filmmakers as well as becoming the premier platform for discovering remarkable new British talent.”

Click here to check KIFF’s website for updates including the programme.