Latest Hepworth Film News

The Bradford International Film Festival will run from 16-27 March 2011 and a special feature will be a showing of "Helen of Four Gates" with a special piano accompaniment. This beautiful shot film was long thought to be lost but has been preserved thanks to the efforts of Nick Wilding who discovered it in an archive in Canada and fought for its preservation. The film will be shown on 23rd March. Previous showings have been sold out! Full details about the festival are here

Bollywood: Fitting tribute to the father of Indian film

Nov 5 2009 Harrow Observer

TODAY the word Bollywood is heard more than Barack Obama across the world. The Indian film industry is the most productive in the world, releasing more than 900 features each year, but it traces its lineage back to one movie and one man - Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke - the father of Indian cinema.

He went to London in February 1912 to learn the art and craft of film-making. It was Cecil Hepworth of Walton Studios who trained him.

Harishchandrachi Factory is made in Marathi (one of the many spoken languages in India), and has been selected as India's official entry in the Best Foreign Film category at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

Harishchandrachi Factory premieres in London's Cineworld cinema at Shaftesbury Avenue on 6 November 2009.

Nick reaches the heights with his special Dibnah night

Published Date: 25 September 2009

UNSEEN images of steeplejack Fred Dibnah climbing a 200 foot chimney with his wife, will be shown at a special event in Hebden Bridge Picture House in October.

Mr Dibnah, a much-loved steeplejack and his wife Sheila, were filmed by local filmmaker Nick Wilding. It will raise funds for Mr Wilding to restore the 1920 Cecil Hepworth silent movie Helen of Four Gates. Mr Wilding hopes to raise enough money to restore the film in time for the Hebden 500 Festival in 2010. It would be the first time the film has been shown in Britain for 90 years. It will be shown on October 15 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at Hebden Bridge Tourist Information Office and at the Picture House. Tickets cost £8 for adults, £6 for concessions.

Cinema history at Amberley museum

CINEMATIC history will be on display at Amberley Working Museum during a series of screenings this weekend. Two screens will be dedicated to showing rare footage filmed in Sussex and the south of England, dating back to the dawn of cinema in the 1890s.

The Amberley Granada will screen early flickering images showcasing the work of Brighton and Hove cinema pioneers George Albert Smith and James Williamson, and West Sussex work by Walton-on-Thames film-maker, Cecil Hepworth.

Dated 13 Nov 2008

Rare Hepworth Footage on show

Film archivists have compiled a new programme of rare footage held at the West Sussex record office in Chichester. The weekend will showcase the early comedies and actuality films of Brighton and Hove pioneers, George Albert Smith and James Williamson, and the West Sussex work of film-maker Cecil Hepworth. It will be screened at a special moving picture show at Amberley Working Museum on the weekend of November 15 and 16 2008. Full event information here

Celebrating Northern film heritage

The event, called 'Hebden Royd at the Movies', is celebrating 88 years of 'Callywood' and anyone involved in making local film or television during that time is urged to get in touch.

The night will be an illustrated lecture by Nick Wilding, who made the films 'Tale of Two Towns', 'Race Through Time' and 'Heptonstall Village of Memories', and plans to include trailers and extracts from years gone by.

The first film shot in Calderdale was in 1920 by director Cecil Hepworth called 'Helen of Four Gates'. The organisers hope to be able to show stills from this rare film at the event.

More recently 'Nicholas Nickelby' and 'My Summer of Love' have used the Calder Valley as backdrops.

Nick said: "Our film heritage is an extraordinarily important local story that has never been properly told.

"We will be celebrating the way the area has featured in projects over the years and of course the Picture House as well - it's a great survivor."

The lecture, at 7.30pm on Wednesday September 24, opens the new season for Hebden Bridge Local History Group.

Anyone interested in contributing can email Nick on nickwilding40@hotmail.com or ring him on 01422 843 871.