arts
Lights, Camera, Action: First Sykehouse Film Festival A Huge Success
Glitz and Glamour hit the Yorkshire town of Goole on 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.
The event brought great excitement as Nina Wadia OBE (
EastEnders), Gary Webster, straight from starring in 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 and Hollywood actor Keith Mason, and presenter Danielle Broadbent were amongst the celebrity guests. There was even 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 be presenting but sadly passed away a few weeks before the event.
The entry films were shown during the day, including a selection of highly commended short and feature film submissions.
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.
Big winner of the night was 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 for 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.
Humour was provided by top comedians George Coppen and Alex Leam, while Linzi Gold sang three of her own songs to an appreciative audience.
![All images by Terry Scott]()
All images by Terry Scott
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.
A full list of 2024 winners can be found on the Awards Website at www.slhfilmfest.com
Tickets for the 2025 event are also available.