English Riviera Film Festival

About Us

The  third English Riviera Film Festival comes to the English Riviera from the 12th to the 18th of June with  a packed line-up covering a broad range of film and film related events taking place at cultural venues right across the Bay.

Highlights of the week-long festival include talks and screenings by Devon based  Directors Luke Jeffreys,  Ashley Thorpe,  Lucy Townsend and Elizabeth Jane Baldry ( who is the only classical silent film harpist  in the world )   a special appearance by Tony Bramwell, the director of the promotional music films of the legendary Beatles, and the inaugural English Riviera Film Festival awards, which has received entries from all over the world.

A special premiere that will be of particular interest to Torbay residents is the first screening of Brixham Memories, produced by the Heritage Lottery Funded Brixham Heritage Trail project, and featuring reminiscences by local residents of days gone by in the rich history of Brixham.

Attendees will also be treated to the premiere of London based Mini Productions latest film, Ellie Waits, and official Festival film selection Edith starring Peter Mullan and Michele Fairley. And the films’ Producers will also be coming to the Festival from London to talk about their work.

We have tours of the Picture House Cinema in Paignton ( one of the oldest purpose built cinemas in Europe), we're showing Ray Winstone's big screen debut That Summer ( filmed in and around Torquay ),  we have  talk and screening about 1930's Director Norman Lee by his grandson Kevin Ryland . With the South Devon Players take you behind the scenes of their forthcoming feature film Mordred. 

The climax of the week will occupy the whole day on Saturday 17th June and takes place across two entire suites of the Riviera Centre. In one area,  audiences will be able to enjoy films, talks, interviews and the Awards ceremony whilst, throughout the day,  a separate interactive film suite will enable festival-goers to learn about the filmmaking process  through workshops and demonstrations of special effects, sound production, acting for screen, make-up and on-set photography. And the Torbay arm of the national Pauline Quirke Academy will be at the festival great support they give to  young  film makers  of the future making , Directing and  producing films . 

Festival Director John Tomkins said he is ‘excited and heartened’ that this year’s event has been able to grow in scope due to the participation of the local community. “This really is Torbay’s very own film festival with a particular focus on home-grown talent. It has been achieved with the cooperation and enthusiasm of local businesses and community partners, from the Our Glass artists at Cockington who have made our special awards trophies to the team at Brixham Heritage Trail and the Paignton Picture House Trust.”  

Tomkins, who runs his own digital film production company, is also particularly keen to showcase Torbay and Devon based emerging talent. “I’ve especially enjoyed working with South Devon College Digital Media students this year and it’s very important to me that the festival offers them the sort of encouragement and exposure I would have appreciated during my early days as an independent film-maker. For that reason, in amongst the awards for national and international short films ( with film entries received from through the world ), there will be a special trophy for the South Devon College Film-maker of the Year.”

The English Riviera Film Festival is organised on a not-for-profit basis by Tomkins and a team of independent film practitioners and enthusiasts with the invaluable support of commercial sponsorship from local businesses such as Accounting for Everything, Boyce Hatton Solicitors, Crispin Associates,  Roots 2 Success, Innovative Design, Prestige  Supercar  and Rame Digital Marketing. The festival runs from 12th – 18th June and you can view the full programme line up and ticketing information at www.erfilmfest.co.uk.