contact:
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Transforming locations including Gorey Castle, Jersey War Tunnels, Tower Hall Chambers, and the Old Magistrates Court, into unique cinema and music venues, the festival will feature the best new independent British and international films, including new films from Eastern Europe and Latin America to reflect the islands Polish and Portuguese speaking communities.
The festival will be the inaugural event at the newly developed Weighbridge Park, where a spectacular 19th-century Spiegel Tent imported from Belgium will be installed to serve as festival box office, meeting point, and café. Constructed from wood and canvas, and embellished with mirrors and stained glass, this “Magic Mirror Tent” will sparkle as a party hotspot in the evenings.
Branchage will also showcase the opportunities that Jersey can offer as a location to international filmmakers, with industry seminars given by key island businesses currently operating in the film industry included in the programme, as well as film forums hosted by established international filmmakers, directors and producers, making the festival a great networking opportunity.
Resident filmmakers of the Channel Islands have already been invited to submit their film for considered for the Islanders Award with the winning film being screened at the festival and its filmmaker receiving a cash prize of £10,000. Branchage Boot Camp, www.branchagebootcamp.com an educational workshop for young people from Jersey and Guernsey, will help nurture the talents of a future generation of filmmakers.
The festival takes its name from the Jersey tradition Visite du Branchage, a biannual check that all island residents have fulfilled their obligation to ensure that hedges, branches and trees growing on their property are trimmed so they do not encroach on public roads and footpaths.