We’re nearing the end of the book tour for Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music. I’ve loved doing the events with Mark. They’re laid-back talks about the book and the wider film music industry, so each one has been different. I’ve particularly enjoyed the book signings afterwards, where I have a front row seat to observe how much people love the Good Doctor and his film reviews. So many people tell him how he influences their film viewing, and how much time they’ve spent listening to his podcasts or shows, to which he tends to reply ‘I can only apologise’.
Our penultimate event in this series of talks supporting the Surround Sound hardback release brought us to Cambridge Film Festival, one that’s close to my heart as I was fortunate enough to be a Trustee. I grew up around Cambridge and went to school there, so experienced a wave of emotions and memories as I arrived at the station and made my way to the Arts Picturehouse cinema, passing old haunts along the way.
It was so lovely to see the CFF team again and to reconnect with some current and former trustees. At the risk of stating the obvious, running a film festival is really hard work! It’s a year-round operation to raise the funds and maintain momentum, and I continue to be impressed by the dedication and energy of the team.
This year’s festival is significant because it’s the first since the death of Isabelle McNeill, our brilliant and inspiring Chair and the co-founder of the Cambridge Film Trust. I count myself as incredibly lucky that I got to work with her. She was inspiring, unflappable and so passionate about cinema. The Isabelle McNeill Award has been established to recognise special achievement by a female filmmaker, and this year the award goes to The Ice Tower.
As I say, each of the Surround Sound talks has been different, and this time we were interviewed by film critic, co-host of Fade to Black podcast and all-round top bloke Amon Warmann. We were also joined by special guest Neil Brand, the composer, silent film pioneer and presenter of the recently launched All About the Music podcast. Neil performs with Mark and his band The Dodge Brothers to provide a live, improvised accompaniment to silent film screenings and he contributed greatly to the ‘Never Silent’ chapter in our book. It was amazing to witness his piano improvisation to a clip from the Buster Keaton classic The General.
After the talk and book signing (many thanks to Waterstones Cambridge for providing the books!), I went to a late-night CFF screening of Hamnet – one of the few cinema trips I’ve had all year, due to parenting a 1 year old. And what a film to see on the big screen in a packed auditorium! The sniffles and sobs were audible throughout this vivid portrayal of motherhood and grief. If further proof were needed that Jessie Buckley is an absolute acting powerhouse, this is it.
Our final Surround Sound event (for now!) will be at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival in York. We recently spoke to the magazine in one of our more chaotic Zoom calls, involving unreliable wi-fi connection (from Mark’s side) and an impatient one year old (from my end) so huge thanks to Emma Jacob for her patience and for cobbling together a coherent interview!
There are a few tickets left so if you’re based in or around York and you’re at a loose end on Friday 7th November, hopefully we’ll see you at the Theatre Royal!
[Photo credits: the wonderful Mike O’Brien]
