Ipswich film festival to host UK premiere of 1968 film

Why it matters: The two-week festival is expected to become a yearly celebration of cinema in the heart of town, giving film lovers the chance to see premieres, restorations and classic films on 35mm in Ipswich.

The details: The festival runs at King Street Cinema from Saturday, 31 October, to Saturday, 14 November.

The programme spans:

• contemporary international cinema
• landmark restorations
• cult classics, documentaries and live events
• previews of unreleased films
• workshops, talks and awards.

The UK premiere: Moi-même will be screened on Friday, 6 November, at 19:00, with filmmaker Mojo Lorwin and original cast member Kevin Mathewson in attendance.

• The film was shot in Paris in 1968 by the late Lee Breuer, a pioneering theatre director and co-founder of experimental theatre company Mabou Mines.
• It is an unscripted silent satire following 13-year-old Kevin as he attempts to make a film, and features an appearance by Jean-Luc Godard and footage associated with the student protests at the Sorbonne University.
• Although set and mostly shot in Paris, it was originally conceived as a London-based film called "Me", and its four child stars were all living in London when it was being planned.

A father and son: Lorwin revisited and reimagined the abandoned project in the final year of his father's life, creating what organisers describe as "a unique collaboration across nearly half a century".

He will be joined by Mathewson, now 71, who played the film's central character as a teenager. Organisers say their attendance "offers audiences a rare opportunity to encounter the people behind this singular piece of cinema history".

What they're saying: Festival organisers said the UK premiere "marks an important moment" for the festival and Ipswich's cultural ambitions, and that the festival is "bringing exceptional international cinema and rare works of film history to Suffolk, connecting local audiences with global creative voices".

Lee Walker, chief executive of Ipswich Central, which is sponsoring the festival, said: "Ipswich Central is incredibly proud to be supporting the first Ipswich International Film Festival hosted at King Street Cinema.

"This summer businesses backed our manifesto which outlined an ambitious target for Ipswich to be recognised for its diverse range of festivals and celebrations, and we look forward to the IIFF being a milestone event in the calendar going forward."

For festival-goers: Businesses across the town will offer discounts and deals to ticket holders, with full details to be published on the All About Ipswich website.

The bottom line: Abandoned in Paris more than half a century ago, Moi-même will be seen for the first time in the UK at King Street Cinema, and it is just one highlight of a fortnight of film events when the first IIFF opens next week.

Don't forget: If you enjoy our content, please add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google so you can easily find more of the content you value.

This article cost us ~£27 to produce

It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our partners. Please support us by supporting them.