Cheltenham International Film Festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary this September 2023, bringing a diverse, thought-provoking and engaging programme of cinema to the town.
With a new home at Cineworld in The Brewery Quarter, this year's festival sees visionary British director, Ken Loach, come to Cheltenham to host the UK premiere of his final film, The Old Oak.
CIFF pays tribute to the recently-knighted Sir Stephen Frears with a retrospective of his work, as well as an 'in conversation' event with journalist Matthew Sweet; Cannes Film Festival winner, Timothy Spall, brings his new Marc Bolan-themed film, Bolan's Shoes, to the event; and Cheltenham Cricket Club hosts an outdoor cinema screening of Mamma Mia! with the Alfresco Film Company.
Marking two key anniversaries in 2023, DEYA Brewing Company is putting on a special 25th anniversary screening of Guy Ritchie's ground-breaking heist thriller, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; and Tewkesbury's The Roses Theatre is screening Peter Brooks's film adaptation of William Golding's iconic Lord of the Flies, with members of the original cast set to be in attendance to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Alongside the UK premiere of The Old Oak, other premieres at this year's event include new BBC drama Boiling Point starring Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson and Ray Panthaki; the English premiere of Slovakian folk horror Nightsiren; and a preview screening of The Eternal Daughter starring Tilda Swinton.
This year's festival is also showcasing films from Spain as its Country in Focus for 2023, with seven films being screened across the festival, including emotional drama On The Fringe starring Penelope Cruz and Luis Tosar.
