Hollywood directors, Bond girls, Doctor Who assistant Katy Manning, Mad Max actor Virginia Hey and a whole screenload of cult sci-fi, horror and kids' classics make up the three day Starburst International Film Festival which takes place at Manchester Metropolitan University's Student Union this week.
"The Starburst International Film Festival really does have something for everyone" says Festival organiser Gareth Kavanagh "By day it is fun for the family with the chance to meet the creators of popular programmes like Shaun the Sheep and the Sarah Jane Adventures. By night it is a celebration of cult with special screenings of The Mummy and The Gorgon plus the opportunity to see old favourites such as Psychomania. A short tram trip or a car journey and you could be time travelling and visiting different worlds!"
Amongst loads of screenings and happenings the Festival features the chance to meet the writers of Red Dwarf and Wallace and Gromit, a Flash Gordon pop-up puppet theatre show, meet and greet sessions with ex Eastender Nicky Henson and Doctor Who writers such as Philip Martin.
There's also special showings of two 2006 Doctor Who episodes with commentary from members of the show's production team to salute ten years of David Tennant's first appearance as the Time Lord and, to mark the fiftieth birthday of Thunderbirds, the premiere of three episodes which were previously only available on vinyl record (!) with an intro by David Graham, the voice of Parker.
There's even a `cosplay disco' where people can don costumes and become a character such as Wonder Woman or the Joker from Batman The Dark Night.
The new Festival is being organised by Starburst sci-fi magazine which has operated from Manchester for almost forty years, and one of its hosts is the mag's assistant editor, Eccles based Star Wars fan Martin Unsworth...
"I had wanted to be a journalist since I was at school and started writing out of a passion" he recalls "As a fan of series like Inside No 9, I am looking forward to seeing people like Steve Pemberton at the festival and Mad Max actor Virginia Hey is a real force of nature very amenable! But it is the communal spirit of the gathering that I am anticipating most."
With so much going on at the Festival it's almost impossible to preview but check out the website for some incredible happenings www.starburstfilmfest.co.uk
Starburst International Film Festival
Friday 26th-Sunday 28th August
Manchester Metropolitan University Student Union
21 Higher Cambridge Street
Manchester M15 6AD.
There are a variety of ticket options available for the Festival including Family Day Passes, Young Person's and Children's tickets. These can be bought online at www.starburstfilmfest.co.uk/festival-tickets
Main photo shows Martin Unsworth and friends
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