Southport MovieMakers Welcomes Potential of Southport Film Festival

It was reported in the Southport Visiter this week that, following the significant investment in the new Atkinson Centre in Southport, there is the potential for Southport having its own film festival. Southport MovieMakers very much welcomes both the forthcoming opening of the new facilities at the Atkinson Centre and the potential of a Southport Film Festival.

We would definitely welcome the opportunity to enter one or more of our films. We have won numerous awards in our 64-year existence, in regional, national and international competitions and have entered previous local festivals. More recent productions have won a large number of awards, and two won gold and bronze medals at UNICA, the world amateur film festival in 2009. Prior to the closure of Southport Arts Centre, we gave a show of our local archive films there to a capacity audience.

A film festival would bring publicity to Southport, as well as increased business to local restaurants, shops and hotels. From the perspective of film, a film festival would provide an opportunity for people to see new films and for filmmakers, who might not have their films shown otherwise, to get feedback on them. New talent could be discovered.

The opening of the Atkinson Centre brings a long-awaited venue for many kinds of event. In recent years, the Club has seen a welcome influx of younger film makers, of whom there are now twelve aged 17 to 21, a third of the membership.  Since their arrival, there has been a welcome increase in the number of films produced, and the possibility of showing some of them on the screen at the Atkinson Centre would encourage those who have made them, and interest those who come to view them.

Anything that brings a major event to Southport and reflects our interest and passion for creativity in film should be encouraged. We certainly encourage these developments.


We spoke to the Southport Visiter about this development earlier this week:
Film fest potential welcomed by group

Southport’s Atkinson Centre almost ready to wow crowds - Southport Visitor (17 January 2013)

The Atkinson Development (Sefton Council)