Film / News
Slapstick launches Kickstarter campaign
Bristol’s annual Slapstick festival of silent and vintage screen comedy has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for its January event. The fest is seeking a fairly modest £5,000 to transport and insure rare prints, meet ever-increasing venue costs, and pay for newly commissioned scores performed by world-class musicians.
Festival Director Chris Daniels explains: “Although Slapstick is a hugely popular event, now attracting some 5,000 UK and international visitors, funding it is a perennial problem despite all our celebrity guests appearing for free and the many hours of low cost or no cost support we get from local companies and individuals.
“For instance, one of the stand-out attractions of every Slapstick is that we show wonderful old silent comedies which hardly anyone will have seen before on a full-sized screen. But these films are rare; costly to track down, transport and insure and deserve to be viewed in the traditional way, with a live accompaniment, which often means commissioning a suitable new score for them, too – all very expensive.
“One solution would be to increase our ticket prices but we feel very strongly that we need to keep our prices affordable so that as many people as possible, including the next generation, can enjoy the experience of being introduced to the best screen comedy of the past 100 odd years by those of today’s top entertainers who also admire them.”
As of this morning, nearly £500 had already been raised. So what do you get in return for punting them a few quid? A variety of packages are available, including backstage passes, afternoon tea with The Goodies, celebrity meet-ups and the chance to be custard pied by a star guest during the festival.
Slapstick events take place at the Watershed, Colston Hall and St. George’s from 21-25 January 2016. The annual gala at the Colston Hall on 22 Jan includes a screening of the Chaplin classic The Kid. Tickets for the St. George’s events go on sale tomorrow (Friday 6 November), when the programme will be announced. Check back here for details. To stay up-to-date with Slapstick news, special offers and competitions, you can find the Slapstick Festival on Facebook, follow @SlapstickFest on Twitter or sign up for the festival’s free e-bulletins by visiting www.slapstick.org.uk.
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