Bradford International Film Festival 2011 gets underway

Bradford International Film Festival celebrates the best of cinema

A little bit of Hollywood comes to West Yorkshire as the red carpet is rolled out in Bradford at the start of the city's International Film Festival.

Over 100 films from countries all over the world will be shown during the festival at the National Media Museum in the heart of Bradford.

The festival, now in its 17th year, features 31 UK and 11 world premieres.

A selection of horror films will also be featured in a festival-within-a-festival called Bradford After Dark.

'Global spread'

Tony Earnshaw, artistic director of the Bradford International Film Festival (BIFF), said: "Once again Bradford delivers another punchy line-up.

"I am delighted with the global spread of this year's festival and the array of guests whose work in cinema continues to enthral."

The festival - which runs until 27 March - opens with Woody Allen's new film, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, which stars Anthony Hopkins and Naomi Watts.

Other highlights include the popular Widescreen Weekend which is for all fans of large format and widescreen films, and Uncharted States of America which features independent American films.

The film festival takes place at the National Media Museum in Bradford

Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame, will be one of the star guests attending Bradford International Film Festival to receive the BIFF Fellowship Award.

Tony Earnshaw said: "That is pretty exciting as he is the third of the Pythons to come up to Bradford in recent years.

"We started with Michael Palin then Terry Jones came up.

"We are slowly working our way through them."

A number of special events will also take place, including a screening of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde starring John Barrymore, which will feature live accompaniment on the Wurlitzer cinema organ.

Film fans will also get the chance to see Helen of Four Gates, a silent film by Cecil Hepworth which was shot in and around Hebden Bridge in the early 20th century.

Classic films

Tony Earnshaw said he hoped there would be something for everyone at BIFF 2011.

He said the festival organisers were always willing to try something new such as the horror film strand and a family funday weekend featuring four classic childrens' films by Jim Henson.

"This is the kind of thing we have not necessarily done before and we thought that perhaps we were missing a trick," he said.

Festivals are all about discovery and there is much for film buffs to discover Tony Earnshaw, BIFF artistic director

"There were pockets of film buffs out there who were not being catered for at Bradford so we are trying to do that.

"Festivals are all about discovery and there is much for film buffs to discover - and re-discover - over the 12 days of the festival," he said.