Cheltenham is synonymous with festivals. Every March the town becomes the centre of the sporting universe as the best race horses on either side of the Irish Sea run at Prestbury Park during The Festival. With the ever-popular Science and Literature festivals, as well as the Jazz and Music ones, the Gloucestershire town is known by many as the ‘festival town’.

A new addition to the town’s annual festival roster comes in 2019 with the inaugural Cheltenham Film Festival, that is due to begin on 25th May. The festival will feature five days of red carpet events across Montpellier, the Brewery, the Promenade and high street.

Speaking to The Local Answer, event organiser Leslie Sheldon says he hopes the festival will become as well-known as Cheltenham’s other prestigious annual festivals. He said: “We’re extremely excited to announce plans for the 2019 Cheltenham Film Festival. We will look to discover and promote young, independent film makers and pay homage to film directors who have already achieved critical acclaim and commercial success by screening their early films.

“Cheltenham is known for its major annual festivals, the town welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. We hope that the Film Festival will become as famous as all the other fantastic events that are held in the town.

“We’re very excited to be offering opportunities to young, up-and-coming film makers. Already we’ve been speaking with the University of Gloucestershire who have a host of talented students who are involved in film making. I’m pleased to announce the university are going to be managing the short film aspect of the festival so I’m sure students will be very keen to showcase their work.”

The festival may be eight months away, but Leslie has been hard at work already planning for the five days in late March. He continued: “We want to hit the ground running, we’ll be working very hard to ensure next year’s festival is a real success, one that inspires audiences and creates a lasting legacy. We’ll be bringing in high-profile names with the aim of making the town a film centre, not just locally but internationally.

“The festival has many different aspects. There will be an industry part where producers and directors can come and meet each other and exchange information. In terms of the public there will be new films that will be premiering as well as some classic films from years gone by. We’re hoping to run a red carpet event in the Brewery complex in the town centre. We’ll also be holding several panel discussions and masterclasses, hopefully in the Town Hall.

“We want to use all of Cheltenham. We don’t want to leave any audience behind. Our number one aim is to create a festival that can be enjoyed by all.

“We’re very keen to speak to people who want to help us. Whether you’re available to volunteer or in the position to sponsor the event, please do get in touch.”