Fountains Abbey film shows

ON the approaching Bank Holiday Weekend of August 30-31, the BFI is teaming up with the National Trust and Luna Cinema to bring the National Trust Screen Season – special alfresco cinema screenings featuring much-loved films and a unique glimpse into the nation’s cinematic archive – to Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire.

Calendar Girls (2003, certificate 12), with its strong links to the area, will show on the Sunday, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, cert 12) on the Monday. More details on nationaltrust.org.uk/fountains-abbey/

Doors open at 6.30pm and screening starts at 8pm on both days.

In addition to the big feature, as the sun goes down, each film will start with BFI-curated and newly-digitised archive footage specific to Yorkshire, offering an insight into the local area's history and culture. Audiences see archive footage of Skipton’s annual parade in Edwardian times and there's also a glimpse of brave crowds turning out in pretty miserable weather to raise money for the local hospital. Shots of the Great Yorkshire Show include a glimpse of the Miracle Milker, and there's footage of Scarborough’s illuminations plus a home movie of a stroll through 1930s Harrogate – made by Glasgow filmmaker Clifford Strain who relocated to North Yorkshire and established a successful tomato farm. More up-to-date is a 1961 Electricity Board promo. Here customers across Yorkshire and the North-East are urged to "get up to date – go electric". These previously unseen films are part of BFI’s Britain on Film on BFI Player http://player.bfi.org.uk/britain-on-film/

Tickets are now on sale and for public booking go to thelunacinema.com/bfi

Viv Hardwick