Glitz and Glamour hit the Yorkshire town of Goole on the 29th June at the first ever Sykehouse Film Festival.
Actors and celebrities joined film makers and writers at this sold-out red-carpet event held at the “Old George Inn” Sykehouse.
There was great excitement as Nina Wadia OBE (Eastenders), Gary Webster straight from starring in the action thriller ‘Bermondsey Tales, his wife presenter turned author Wendy Turner Webster, acting legend Frazer Hines (celebrating 70 years in show business), local royalty rugby ace turned Hollywood actor Keith Mason, and presenter Danielle Broadbent and actress Michelle Jeram (Granite Harbour BBC ) were amongst the celebrity guest.
One of the surprises of the festival was a guest appearance by zoom from Tom Hank’s brother Jim Hanks.
There were tears in the room as the evening was dedicated to the Irish song bird Rose-Marie who was meant to presenting but sadly passed on a few weeks before the event.
The entry films were shown during the day. This included a selection of short and feature films submitted to the festival which had all been commended by the judges.
The festival was the brainchild of USA Today bestselling author and multiple-award winning screenwriter Samantha Lee Howe.
“I wanted to create an event which celebrated the art of film, and which rewarded filmmakers by getting their work in front of an appreciative audience”, she explained.
The evening was presented by David Howe and winner of the night were Taunya Gren from the USA, who had submitted three of her films to the festival: two shorts and one feature.
She ended up scooping seven awards in total, including the Best Director, Best Horror Feature and Best Short Film, while Seanna Ladd, Gren’s daughter, who appeared in all three films, was awarded Best Actress.
Comedy was provided by top comedians George Coppen and Alex Leam, while Linzi Gold sang three of her own songs to an appreciative audience.
There was a raffle in aid of the Yorkshire charity IDAS with some amazing prizes. Award-winning winery Nyetimber provided Champagne for the guests as they arrived.
The whole event was an incredible success with people coming from all over the UK, and even from America, to attend.
Samantha Lee Howe with two of the big winners who flew in from LA to receive their awards Seanna Ladd and Tanya Gren
A full list of 2024 winners can be found on the Awards Website at www.slhfilmfest.com and tickets for the 2025 event are also available.
https://oldgeorgeinnsykehouse.co.uk
In memory of Rose-Marie
2Shades Magazine 