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 Salford Film Festival, created in 2003 to showcase local film talent, is being scrapped because, organisers claim, the event's been overlooked by Salford City Council. They say it shows that the city doesn't care about low level community projects. Salford is due to receive a massive economic boost from the BBC's planned move of many of its operations to a site at Salford Quays. Distinguished actor, Salfordian, Sir Ben Kingsley has published a letter in the local press, praising the festival and urging civic leaders to support it.
Festival organisers work closely with local communities in Salford and a number of films have been made starring local actors and local children. Training workshops for would-be filmmakers were held every year and the festival ends with screenings hosted at Salford's Red Cinema.
 It's been a huge success with critical acclaim for locally-produced films such as Talking With Angels starring local lad Stephen Buckley which was nominated for a BAFTA in 2004, won a host of international awards, and narrowly missed out on being nominated for an Oscar in the Best Short Feature category.
The festival has also received strong support from distinguished Salfordians such as Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Albert Finney and Christopher Eccleston.
But writing on the Salford Star blog [Tues 16 Jan 2007], festival organiser Stephen Kingston announced that the 2007 Festival has been scrapped, criticising Salford Council for their lack of support.
Salford Star: an extract
"Hopes were high for getting the council to put its money where its mouth is... The result? A very kind offer of three thousand quid. It's a disgrace"
Stephen Kingston, Salford Film Festival
"For three years the Salford Film Festival... struggled on with almost no support from Salford City Council, even though it attracted nearly a million pounds worth of worldwide positive publicity for the city. So this year, with mediacity:uk in the offing and all the grandiose statements, hopes were high for getting the council to put its money where its mouth is...
The result ? A very kind offer of three thousand quid. Not even a cheque for £3000 towards putting the Festival on, but a sum "that will remain within the Salford City Council Tourism Marketing budget... done under the auspices of our 2006 'Events In Salford' programme" wrote Director of Marketing, Susan Wildman.
It's a disgrace. Especially when the community is being used to entice the Beeb to the Quays...." [Words by Stephen Kingston]
Salford Star has also published a letter from Sir Ben Kingsley praising the Film Festival and urging civic leaders to support the event.
See: Talking With Angels Up For an Oscar
Yousaf Ali Khan's Talking With Angels
Salford Film Festival webpage
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