Saltash prepares to host river festival

Hundreds of people have already enjoyed a spectacle of film and culture along the banks of the River Tamar – and this coming weekend, it is Saltash’s turn to experience festival fever.

A sell-out screening of the Rob Reiner classic Stand By Me against the backdrop of the Tamar bridges will be the highlight in the third weekend of It’s All About the River.

The festival, presented by The River Tamar Project and Peninsula Arts at Plymouth University, aims to explore the historical and future connections of local and international communities with the river.

Being staged with funding from Arts Council England, the British Film Institute Film Festival Fund, the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, the Heritage Lottery Fund, FEAST, the festival features new commissions from local, national and international artists and filmmakers, alongside screenings of popular and cult classics in impressive settings along the banks of the Tamar.

The weekend’s other events in Saltash include a talk and screening by Canadian artist Chris Welsby, in conversation of Plymouth University Professor of Photographic Culture Liz Wells, at Ashtorre Rock. The venue will also host a children’s event – It’s All About the Kids – and Confluences, a looped installation featuring short films about other rivers across the world.

And, in a late addition to the festival programme, there is the rare opportunity to hear from Turner Prize nominee Catherine Yass at Ashtorre Rock, on Sunday at 1.30pm. This free event will feature a talk from the artist, a screening of her 2006 film, Lock, and the chance for visitors to put their questions to the film maker during a short Q&A.

Artistic Director Paula Orrell says: “It’s All About the River has already wowed film fans in communities on both sides of the River Tamar, and as we continue our journey downstream the enthusiasm is really gathering pace. It is enabling communities to view striking works and enjoy thought-provoking experiences produced by globally-renowned artists. But it also celebrates an important natural asset, raising its profile nationally and internationally.”

After its stop-off in Saltash, the festival continues downstream over the coming weekends and among the highlights still to come are a unique screening of Francis Ford Coppola’s classic Apocalypse Now on the Torpoint Ferry, the premiere of Tropikos (by BAFTA nominated director John Akomfrah and production company Smoking Dogs) and the first showing of The Dividing Line, a film by artist Mark Vernon about the community of Barne Barton and its ongoing battle for access to the river.

Voting is also continuing for the Audience Choice segment, which will be held on Saturday 11 October in Devonport Park, with people able to choose from a shortlist of six films including Spirited Away, Bridge on the River Kwai, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, On

A Clear Day, A River Runs Through It and Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Many of the events are free, with more information and the full festival programme available to view at www.itsallabouttheriver.org.uk