New Forest Film Festival 2012 :: OFFICIAL SITE

Mark Kermode is one of the UK’s leading film critics, co-hosting the BBC Five Live Kermode and Mayo review show every Friday afternoon and presenting the film reviews each week on the BBC News channel.

He is a regular contributor to The Culture Show and Newsnight Review, and has his own BBC film blog site, Kermode Uncut. Mark also writes for The Observer, and has recently published his cinematic memoir, It’s Only a Movie.

He is one of the lively group of film enthusiasts who are setting up the New Forest Film Festival, and lives in Brockenhurst.

His skiffle/rockabilly band The Dodge Brothers play regularly at The Thomas Tripp pub in Lymington, and are getting a national reputation for providing live musical accompaniments to silent movies.

Mark has co-curated the Shetland Film Festival, Screenplay, since 2007, and in 2010 he ran a film strand at the Larmer Tree Festival.

Linda Ruth Williams is Professor of Film at Southampton University, and lives in Brockenhurst.

She has written numerous books and articles about cinema and literature, and regularly contributes to newspapers and journals such as the BFI magazine Sight and Sound, as well as to radio and TV programmes on film issues whenever possible. She is part of the energetic ‘film crew’ which is setting up the New Forest Film Festival, and is also on the New Forest Festival team which is overseeing all of the fabulous events taking place in the wider Festival. Linda has co-curated the Shetland Film Festival, Screenplay, since 2007.

Simon Miller is a film writer and director and media executive.

Simon initially worked on Wall Street for JPMorgan before going on to work for Universal Music and Peoplesound.com and then retraining as a filmmaker at the London Film School.

Simon’s first short film, Dead Man Falls (2004) premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival. His second short film, Foighidinn: The Crimson Snowdrop (2005) was the first Scottish Gaelic film to be shot on 35mm.

Simon’s first feature film, Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle (2008), was nominated for 3 Scottish BAFTAs and was the first Scottish Gaelic film to make it into UK cinemas.

He is currently developing several feature films, including at least one set in the New Forest!

Simon has founded various companies in the past 10 years, including Swopex and GlobalCampus and has most recently been working with EMI Music and Abbey Road Studios as global head of innovation.

Simon lives and writes with his partner, Jo Cockwell, in Boldre in the New Forest.

Jo Cockwell is a film writer and illustrator from the New Forest.

Jo originally trained as a lawyer and worked in the City for 8 years whilst writing scripts after hours with her partner, Simon.

The short of their first script, Dead Mans Shoes premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2004 which led to a second short, Foighidinn: The Crimson Snowdrop (2005) which was the first Scottish Gaelic film to be shot on 35mm. A feature script followed which resulted in the feature film, Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle (2008), which was nominated for 3 Scottish BAFTAs including for best screenplay.

She is currently developing three feature films, including at least one set in the New Forest.

Jo lives and writes with her partner, Simon Miller, in Boldre in the New Forest.

Dr. Michael Hammond is Senior Lecturer in Film History in the English department at the University of Southampton.

He is an expert in the local cinema history of the area and in British and American Silent Cinema more generally. He is also a member of the Dodge Brothers and composes and arranges their musical accompaniment to silent films.

Mike lives in Lymington in the New Forest.