Did you know that there are many films that have been filmed in Rhyl, Prestatyn and the surrounding areas, the upcoming Reel Rhyl Film Festival will be celebrating many of the films that have been shot in the area in North Wales, the latest being the brilliant Me, Myself and Di.
Wicked Wales which is based at Rhyl Little Theatre, is launching the new Film Festival called Reel Rhyl. The film festival will celebrate the history of the area and will be showcasing some of the finest films that have been filmed in Rhyl and Prestatyn. This festival has been funded by The National Lottery, BFI Fan and Film Hub North.
Sara Sugarman’s 2012 film Vinyl will be opening the festival along with a pre-recorded introduction from Sara. The film is based on the story of local legend’s Mike Peters and The Alarm. Vinyl tells the story of some of the ageist record companies that turn down a new record, the veteran punk band assemble a group of youngsters to stand in for them and fool the music industry.
Reel Rhyl will also be bringing the 1973 classic Holiday on the Buses to the Little Theatres. The film was made by Hammer Films at Elstree Studios, Borehamwood and shot at Pontin’s in Prestatyn, many will remember the double-decker bus stuck on the beach and of course the famous motorbike and sidecar going off the bridge in Rhuddlan. The film follows the events that lead to Stan and Jack getting fired from their job at the bus depot and end up working at a holiday camp, but soon discover that Blakey works there too, as the head of security.
Festival Director Rhiannon Wyn Hughes MBE told us, “Rhyl has always been a creative place full of talented people. Many of whom have enjoyed successful careers on the world stage but always remembering and being proud of their hometown. What better place in North Wales start a festival it is a time to recognise and celebrate all the good things about Rhyl.”
The team organising the upcoming event have told us that a third film is to be confirmed shortly but there will also be time to reminisce and watch archive films celebrating the cultural heritage and home videos courtesy of the Sound and Screen Archive in Aberystwyth, British Film Institute, along with videos and photos from the public.
The Reel Rhyl team also aim to create a short film about the 100 Lockdown Heroes to add to the archive for future screenings. If you would like to be involved in that then you can send a photo and a sentence about your lockdown hero to rhiannon52[at]mail[dot]com.
If you have any home films or photos of Rhyl and the surrounding area, Rhiannon would love to hear from you; don’t hesitate to get in touch with rhiannon52[at]mail[dot]com.
Here at Blazing Minds, we can’t wait to head on over to the event to check out some of the brilliant films that are showing and to hopefully bring you some interviews and reviews of the Reel Rhyl Film Festival, so keep you eyes peeled here on the Blazing Minds website and to the Blazing Minds official social media.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
