Welcome to The 2015 Chester International Film Festival, our 29th!

We are delighted to present this diverse collection of some of the finer films of world cinema in a relaxing and appreciative atmosphere. This year, we are presenting films from 13 countries!

Our Film Programme for 2015 consists of the following films:

Before the Winter Chill – France – starring Philippe Claudel and Kristin Scott-Thomas in this subtle story of a man in the autumn of his life, torn between a loving wife and his dangerous attraction for a troubled, mysterious young woman.

Museum Hours – Austria – When a Vienna museum guard befriends an enigmatic visitor, the grand Kunsthistorisches Museum becomes a mysterious crossroads which sparks explorations of their lives, the city, and the ways artworks reflect and shape the world.

Barbara – Germany – An East German doctor prepares a plan to defect to the west, but faces a painful moral dilemma that forces her to decide one way or another who and what she values most.

Calvary – UK – In the darkness of the confession box, Father James learns he is about to be killed. Behind the grille, a shadowy parishioner explains that he was abused as a child and is hellbent on revenge. Father James, as a representative of the church, has been selected to take the fall; The priest now has a week to put his own house in order.

Of Horses and Men – Iceland – A darkly comedic, episodic tale of the lives of a remote Icelandic community and the deeply intertwined and highly emotive relationships with their horses.

Rome Open City – Italy – Our Classic presentation. Nazi occupied Rome.  Through a vivid authenticity to the depiction of daily lives dominated by poverty, a group of indignant people, such as a publisher and a priest, decide to fight against the Nazis.

We are showing in a number of venues including for the first time, Chester Cathedral Refectory.

After it’s outstanding launch in 2014, we are pleased to again host our 2015 Animation Showcase alongside this year’s Festival. We will be showing the best in British and International animations following a call for submissions. For this year’s festival, we have had 120 entries submitted from all over the world. We have narrowed this down to the best 10 shorts. Each night our audience will vote, and on the final night – Saturday 7th March – we will decide who will win the audience prize for 2015.

Tickets can be reserved by emailing bookings@chesterfilmfans.co.uk, or by telephoning
01244 371750. Tickets are just £4. Or for even better value you can buy a special pass for just £12 allowing entry to any 4 films.

The Festival website can be found by visiting www.festival.chesterfilmfans.co.uk

Chester International Film Festival is organised by Chester Film Society. We are Chester’s only permanent film offering in the city. If you are interested in future film events, please visit our Film Society website, www.chesterfilmfans.co.uk, and follow us on Twitter @chesterfilmfan.