Bradford Internation Film Festival - A Preview

Image taken from: http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/

Growing up between Leeds and Bradford, Bradford has always felt like Leeds’ younger brother. In the late-90s, as New Labour began the process of regenerating the Northern cities, Bradford was left behind. Where Leeds graduated and got a PhD in Business and Economics, Bradford was left to fester. The city where building projects were began but never finished, the city where charity shops replaced local businesses, the city where racial tensions led to race riots.

With this stagnation, Bradford threatened to become a cultural wasteland. It is thanks to the work of individuals who believed in the city and refused to accept it’s negative public-image that Bradford has sustained a cultural vibrancy. Beyond the Brontes and Hockney- it’s National Media Museum promotes the cities historic connections with the film industry- some of the first films having been made in the city.

Since 1995 the Bradford International Film Festival has championed films from around the world as well as the best of British cinema, with previous festival selections having included: Sexy Beast, Four Lions and Trainspotting.  Held this year across three venues: the National Media Museum, Hyde Park Picture House and Impressions Gallery, the BIFF will celebrate it’s 20th anniversary  this year.

The anniversary is a testament to the tenacity of it’s organisers, organisers who felt the city deserved the recognition an international film festival would bring. Throughout its tenure the festival has been set against adversity. In the summer of last year there were fears host-venue the National Media Museum would be forced to close, it’s future only secured following a petition. And the city centre has had continued problems: namely the 15 year-old ‘hole’ in the city centre- the result of  council/developer disputes over  the construction of a Westfield shopping centre.

Yet in spite of these problems the BIFF has thrived. Partnered this year with Virgin Media and linked with Leeds Metropolitan University's Northern Film School, the festival has attracted a wide-variety of films and industry speakers.

This years lineup promises a varied selection, with Sally Potter and Brian Cox’s set to collect the BIFF Fellowship and BIFF Lifetime Achievement award respectively, the programme will feature screenings of their best works. They’ll also be retrospectives of Yoshitara Nomura’s post-WW2 crime films and particular anticipation will greet the festival’s closing feature Locke, directed by Steven Knight on the back of his debut Hummingbird, and starring Tom Hardy and Olivia Coleman.

One of Bradford's premier annual events, the BIFF once again promises to attract film-lovers to the city. 2014 has begun as a year of growing optimism for Bradford. With long-promised regeneration coming to the city centre and the Media Museum’s future having been secured, Bradford is seeing the beginning of a well overdue resurgence .  As the BIFF’s 20th annual festival commences, the younger brother steps out of its Northern sibling’s shadow.

The Bradford International Film Festival begins on the 27th of March and continues until the 6th of April. Listings for screenings and events can be found on the website and bookings can be made here.

Being Rich: Stop Making Your Poor Friends Feel Like Shit

Image courtesy of James Longhorn

So according to the government, politicians, economist, and every other wanker-in-the-know, the country's back on the up and London’s thriving again. Which sounds good right? Well since you live in the North, not really, the North’s still on its arse and un/shit-hour employment’s still a massive problem. Which is a massive problem for FRIENDSHIPS. 

That’s right, whilst you might be flying high with your 22-hour contract at Asda, I bet there’s still a whole lot of your friends with zero $$$- sitting on the dole or doing 4-hours a week. Chances are the wealth disparity is making you be a massive dick towards them and it’s driving a wedge into something that used to be so beautiful. 

It’s time you started considering your poor friends. Here is some shit you and everybody else need to cut out to make their dealing with poverty more bearable.

Alcohol

I’m not sure at what point somebody decided that alcohol served any purpose other than to get you drunk. But there they stand. At every bar, at every house party- insisting everyone in earshot have a sip,  peacocking that bottle of micro-brewed and/or imported exspenso-shite. 

Sound familiar? Well you’re not a connoisseur, you’re a cock. Not just that, you’re making your poor friends feel real bad about the drinks they’ve been minesweeping and glasses of Frosty Jacks they’ve been pouring themselves under the table all night. It’s time you re-evaluated your life and made it less awkward for everyone by getting back on the Fosters.

Clothes

So you’re still dressing for style rather than comfort? That’s great but try sitting around on your arse watching Jeremy Kyle with an inbox full of ‘thanks for the application, sorry we’re unable to give you feedback’ rejection emails, then see how stylish you feel. Forget what smart-casual used to mean, now it’s all about jobcentre chic: trackies on the bottom and a shirt on top. 

So help make it more socially acceptable (ie bouncers start letting people in wearing it) by dressing smart-cas like your poor friends do. With all the grunge fetishism at the moment it’s bound to become cool. Have you not watched Nirvana Unplugged? One of the saddest things about Kurt’s death is he never discovered joggers before he kicked it, they’d have definitely been his bag.

Tony Benn RIP

(Originally published for Champion Up North)

When Tony Benn stood down in 2001 he explained his decision as his: "leaving parliament in order to spend more time on politics"- after four years under Tony Blair’s premiership he’d decided to kick it in. Benn was a Labour socialist- a believer in the principles of social justice and equality, an opponent of war- in short his beliefs didn't fit with the New Labour cocktail of baby-kissing, oil-grabbing, neo-liberal shit.

On his death today a variety of figures from across the parties will pay tribute to him, the done thing. No doubt they’ll praise his principles and conviction, but they’ll do it with an air of detachment. Benn’s principled politics are considered old school now, a relic of past. It’s no longer trendy to talk about justice and fairness; instead politicians talk in focus-group determined buzzwords and phrases: ‘hard-working families!’; ‘the cost of living!’; ‘we’re all in this together!’. Saying what they think the public want to hear, rather than saying what they believe.

So forget the lip-service; the tributes; the faux-emotional send-offs and watch this:

Remember why the world will be a sadder place without Tony Benn.