Film and TV Festival Aims to Unite Local Creative Professionals

The organizers of a film and television festival have expressed their aspiration that the gathering will motivate local creative professionals to work together on upcoming endeavors. The Bay International Film Festival is currently taking place in Morecambe, showcasing 96 films across eight different locations throughout the municipality. Anna Henderson, a producer and co-founder of the festival, stated, “There are filmmakers around Cumbria and Lancashire and most of them don’t know each other.” She further elaborated on the festival’s objective, adding, “One of the things we are trying to do is create a network to bring them all together and collaborate.” The event features a diverse selection of film and TV productions, encompassing genres from comedy to horror. Daragh Carville, the creator and writer of the crime drama “The Bay,” which is situated in Morecambe Bay, commented that the ITV series had contributed to increasing the town’s recognition. He remarked, “The latest I heard it was being shown in 140 different countries, so people have really responded to it, which is amazing.” Carville also noted, “And the people here have responded to it too.” The inaugural episode of the fifth series of “The Bay” premiered on the festival’s opening evening. Actor Dan Ryan, who portrays Det Insp Tony Manning in the program, stated that the festival serves to commemorate film and TV, further remarking that the town is “so dear to our hearts, we want to be here.” Among the screenings at the month-long event is the full-length feature film “Unicorns,” which has received multiple award nominations. Philip Herd, a native of Morecambe and one of the film’s producers, also serves as a patron for the festival. Herd commented, “I grew up watching films here in Morecambe.” He continued, “I’m born and bred here. I went away for work, but I’m back all the time when I heard about the opportunity to be involved with the festival it was just something I couldn’t resist.” The Bay International Film Festival is scheduled to continue throughout Morecambe until 1 December.