Hastings celebration of the genius of Powell and Pressburger

Spokeswoman Annie Mannion said: “The season is part of a major UK-wide celebration of one the greatest and most enduring film-making partnerships: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s, with their influence still being felt in cinema at large well into the 21st century.

“In the season of screenings coming up at the Electric Palace in Hastings Old Town before the end of the year, see original Powell and Pressburger classics, learn about their craft in film-making and zine-making workshops and enjoy a selection of modern films which bear the hallmark of their impact on film-making beyond the pair's generation.”

Pamela Hutchinson, film historian and columnist for Sight & Sound magazine, will be introducing a selection of films in the season at the Electric Palace cinema. She said: “The films of Powell and Pressburger create their own special universe – a place vast enough to include life on earth and beyond, as well as an enchanted realm of fantasy, spirituality and magic. I'm delighted that audiences in Hastings will be able to spend some time in this very special cinematic world."

Powell and Pressburger 2023 events coming up include:

• Saturday, November 18, 7.30pm: Student Saturdays: Greta Gerwig night with Lady Bird and surprise extras. The second Student Saturdays event, devised and curated by under 25s to explore the influence of Powell and Pressburger on contemporary filmmakers, for this event focused on the films of Greta Gerwig and the music of Kate Bush. Screening open to all.

• Sunday, November 19, 11am - I Know Where I'm Going! With live VJ film mix and guest introduction from film critic Pamela Hutchinson. One of the most deeply, passionately romantic dramas of all time. Plus, it’s just one of the many great representations of feisty women and girls from the Powell and Pressburger oeuvre.

• Saturday, December 2, 7.30pm: Student Saturdays: The Queer Worlds of Powell and Pressburger. Queer Worlds will focus on the representation of LGBTQIA+ characters and themes in the films of Powell and Pressburger.

• Sunday, December 3, 11am Black Narcissus with Q&A. Acclaimed psychological drama about a group of nuns trying to establish a convent in the Himalayas. Another cinematic jewel from Powell and Pressburger.

• Friday, December 8, 7.30pm Christmas Film Quiz. A fun night for both high-brow film nerds and Blockbuster fanatics alike. Includes a special Powell and Pressburger-themed round.

• Saturday, December 16, 7.30pm Student Saturdays: The Cinema of Excess in Powell and Pressburger. The final Student Saturday in the season, devised and curated by under 25s. The Cinema of Excess will focus on the work of acclaimed filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.

• Sunday, December 17, 11am The Red Shoes with introductions by Glenys Jacques and film critic Pamela Hutchinson. Based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale, a young ballerina is torn between her art and her romance with a young composer. The Red Shoes is regarded as one of the best films of Powell and Pressburger's partnership and one of the greatest films of all time.

About the Powell and Pressburger season, co-director of The Electric Palace cinema, Julia Andrews-Clifford, said: "Everyone knows about Hitchcock, for example, as a great British director, but much fewer know about Powell and Pressburger, and this season is a chance to remedy that - especially helping younger audiences to see how their influence has reached contemporary directors like Greta Gerwig, Wes Anderson, Baz Luhrmann, Joanna Hogg, Damien Chazelle and Martin Scorsese. We hope that by being part of this UK-wide celebration we can make them household names again and celebrate their mammoth filmmaking achievements."