a word from leoni Sitting in one of St Albans many lovely pubs with Donato, discussing the next <strong>film</strong> we were going to make, the gem of the <strong>film</strong> <strong>festival</strong> idea was born… inspired on my part by visits over a lifetime to fun <strong>festival</strong>s (<strong>film</strong> & music), arts fairs, theatre productions, cinema screenings and workshops, we thought St Albans could do with the same. The wealth of talent in the area is too huge to ignore and the heritage of <strong>film</strong>making strong. So the vision is finally upon us and I would like to extend a huge warm welcome to visitors to the very first annual St Albans Film Festival. I hope you enjoy the weekend of events and are welcomed by our open-hearted city folk and fantastic team of ‘Festival Makers’. There is something for all ages and tastes, but the real gems of this <strong>festival</strong> are the short <strong>film</strong>s in our competition so make sure you catch at least one short <strong>film</strong> programme. In the run up to the event Mike Newell will be introducing his feature ‘Great Expectations’ in The Abbey on 28th Feb and Lussmans restaurant will be holding special sustainable food & <strong>film</strong> Dinners 5th – 7th March with VIP Guests including Sunday Times columnist and Chairman of The Blue Marine Foundation Charles Clover – both yummy & good for the planet! For those seeking the glitz & glamour of the event I hope you will join me at our opening launch party at Cafe Rouge & closing awards ceremony at Club Havana. During your visit, you may find yourself sat a while in one of the city’s pubs and feel that idea forming in your head, it does that to you St Albans…so grab a pen, write it down and see your visions come to life too. Thanks for coming, have a great <strong>festival</strong>…this is just the start. Leoni tickets and box office WEEKEND FE<strong>ST</strong>IVAL PASS INDIVIDUAL TICKETS OPENING PARTY CLOSING CEREMONY FULL INFO ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.<strong>ST</strong><strong>ALBANS</strong>FILMFE<strong>ST</strong>IVAL.COM OR AT OUR BOX OFFICE. BOX OFFICE IS OPEN FROM 4TH FEB - 10TH MARCH. ADDRESS: <strong>ST</strong> <strong>ALBANS</strong> FILM FE<strong>ST</strong>IVAL, 33 MARKET PLACE. <strong>ST</strong> <strong>ALBANS</strong>, AL3 5DL (OPPOSITE TOURI<strong>ST</strong> INFORMATION) key OVER 18’S OVER 15’S thank you £40 (£30 CONCESSIONS) – BOOK 6 WORKSHOPS OR SCREENINGS & GET INTO LOTS OF OTHER EVENTS & GET DISCOUNTS AROUND THE CITY. CHILD FRIENDLY £7.50 (£6 CONCESSIONS) £30 £50 FILM SCREENING The Programme is correct at the time of going to print, however events and screenings are subject to change. We reserve the right to cancel, change the time of or replace an event or screening. Please check our website for information in the run up to the event or ask at the box office. You must arrive at the venue at least 15 minutes before your scheduled event, screening or workshop. We will release your tickets 5 minutes before the event, screening or workshop to those waiting to come in. WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU - Donato Cinicolo for sharing the journey and getting the right people on board, Matt Bigg & all at The Collective Design agency for their amazing hard work and creativity, Angie & Sophie from Loudbird PR who kept us flying over the past 6 months,. Hilary Greatorex, Jean-Luc Renaud, Jenny Ainsworth, everyone at our Sponsor companies who we couldn’t have done this without: XLN Business Services, Blanco and University of Hertfordshire Creative Arts, Christine at Havana, Andrei & Lis at Lussmans, Paul Upson and all at Herts Uni, Mark Garvey, Howard Berry & Dr G Jayalakshmi, Lesli, Charles & Jo at St Albans City Council, Lawrence Levy, Cerco Communications. Ben my adorable and patient supportive and talented partner, Nala, Nixie, Jayne, Tom, Zoe, Phoebe, Phineas, Sue & Don. All of our super judges. All of our amazing venue managers. Matt at Vortex Events, Ellie Ophira, All the wonderful performers and creative people, Hattie & Flora & Tom. Jan Harlan, Tony Frewin, Videofeet, Ben Corbett, Chris Dundon, Ben Roper, Supermassive, Barry Purves, Natalie B, Mike Peel, onedotzero, SodaPictures, Andrew Barclay, Danny Lacey, Alexander Bermange, Andy & Warren, Hayley at The Abbey, Christiane and all at Kubrick Estate, Liz Marcy and the local kitchen, all the brilliant speakers and workshop leaders. Gabi, Mike and all the incredible people who have volunteered, the businesses of St Albans, and Joe Morris for his kind support from Oz. I have no doubt left some vitally important helpers out so please forgive me, I do think you are wonderful and if you come find me at the <strong>festival</strong> I will personally thank you, give you a hug and buy you a beer. <strong>ST</strong> <strong>ALBANS</strong> FILM FE<strong>ST</strong>IVAL //2013 01