Farewell Fantastic Films Weekend

Today we announced that Fantastic Films Weekend will not be continuing. Our annual celebration of horror, science fiction and fantasy films has welcomed some great guests and amazing fans. Here’s a message from the Fantastic Films Weekend team, plus some memories from the past 11 years.

We’re proud to have had 11 years of fabulous films, guests and fans at the Fantastic Films Weekend. Over the years our festival directors and guest programmers have brought incredible interviews, frightening features, shocking shorts and anarchy from the archive.

Jeremy Dyson – FFW Patron and guest

The festival has celebrated the work of Terence Fisher, Nigel Kneale, Richard Matheson, George A. Romero and Douglas Adams among many others, and has paid tribute to those essential people behind the scenes of horror and fantasy films, such as Hammer make-up maestros Roy Ashton and Phil Leakey. Fantastic Films Weekend has also welcomed numerous special guests including Jenny Agutter, Mike Hodges, Jonathan Miller and Harley Cokeliss.

Harley Cokeliss – guest at FFW in 2012

And of course, the festival could not have enjoyed so many great years without our amazing Fantastic Film Weekend fans. A huge thanks to all of you for your support, for travelling long distances, buying passes, and being so happy and enthusiastic to be terrified and amazed year after year!

Jenny Agutter – guest at FFW in 2008

Although the weekend event is not continuing, fans of the fantastic can take delight in our Bradford After Dark strand of the Bradford International Film Festival (11 April – 21 April), which features horror films and chillers, and we will continue to support our chums at Fanomenon in Leeds and Celluloid Screams in Sheffield.

Christopher Frayling interviews Jonathan Miller at FFW in 2011

This week, we’re delving into the festival archives to pull together as many Fantastic Films Weekend photographs, videos and podcasts as we can, which we’ll share on this blog and on Facebook and Twitter in the coming weeks – we hope you’ll do the same and share your favourite Fantastic Films memories.

For news about our ongoing film programme or the Bradford International Film Festival please sign up to our newsletters.

Piers Haggard – guest at FFW in 2008

Brian Aldiss – guest at FFW in 2007

Peter Duffell – guest at FFW in 2008

Harry Kumel – guest at FFW in 2008

Mike Hodges – guest at FFW in 2009

John Hough – guest at FFW in 2007

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Situated right in the heart of Bradford, UNESCO City of Film, we exist to promote an appreciation and understanding of media through nine floors of FREE galleries, an extensive collection and research facility, and three cinemas including the UK's first IMAX theatre.

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