Cinema to celebrate East Anglia with film festival

The Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa film will be shown as part of Abbeygate Cinema's Made in East Anglia Film Festival

An independent cinema is to run a film festival dedicated to celebrating the East of England.

Abbeygate Cinema, based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, has announced it will run a Made in East Anglia Film Festival from 22 August to 10 September.

It will shine a spotlight of films made in, inspired by, or those that celebrate the region.

General manager Gareth Boggis said it would be a "real celebration of the region" and hopefully would both entertain and help people learn about East Anglia.

Gareth Boggis said he was always looking at ways of broadening the cinema's offerings

Highlights of the festival including a showing of Netflix's The Dig, which follows the story of the Sutton Hoo archaeological dig and was filmed in the county.

There will also be a talk by dialect coach Charlie Haylock, who worked on this film, offering behind the scenes insight. Suffolk-based independent filmmaker Tim Curtis will be among the other guests giving talks as part of the festival.

Norfolk's own Alan Partridge will also feature, with the Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa film being shown.

Other films on the line up include Yesterday, with scenes filmed across Norfolk and Suffolk, The Rainbow Jacket, partly filmed at Newmarket racecourse, and A Cock and Bull Story filmed in Norfolk's Felbrigg Hall.

Abbeygate Cinema's festival aims to showcase the region's range of films

Mr Boggis said the cinema had been inspired to hold the festival after previous showings with local connections had been positively received by audiences.

"When we've done local films or films with a very local connection they've always done really well and I think there's that sort of interest and intrigue in seeing the place that you live featured in film," he said.

"It's not about making money for us, it's about that hopefully people can come and do a couple of films or a couple of events and speakers to learn something but more than anything be entertained and enjoy themselves."

Tickets will cost £10 for an adult, £8 for concessions, £8 for a young adult (aged 15 to 24), £5 for a child and £5 for members.