Tickets selling fast for Shropshire festival of rural-themed films this weekend - here's what's on and when

The Shropshire Independent Cinema (SIC) partnership - Ludlow Picture House, Old Market Hall (OMH) in Shrewsbury, the Wellington Orbit, and Wem Cinema at Wem Town Hall - is uniting animators, critics, ethical food producers, and young talent to "redefine the rural" in the festival, taking place this weekend (July 11 to 13).

The four-cinema partnership champions inventive curation, working with Arts Alive, Shropshire Young Farmers, Appleby’s Dairy, The Shropshire Good Food Trail, The Rare Dairy, and Whitchurch restaurant Docket. 

Together, they offer “a sense of local community and audience entertainment that simply can’t be matched by your average multiplex,” said Rose Horner, curator at Wem Cinema.

The cinemas will be showcasing a mix of family favourites, thrillers, and comedies - like The Ballad of Wallis Island (showing at Ludlow Picture House on Saturday).

This British comedy about a folk duo’s last remaining superfan is supported by local folk and caelidh band, Join The Dots, who are performing on Friday night (July 11).

Also at Ludlow, artist Lewis Heriz, whose clients include Disney, will lead a nature-themed animation workshop at Ludlow inspired by Ken Loach’s heartfelt British classic, Kes.

Meanwhile, Wellington Orbit adds a gory twist to Pride and Prejudice, Pride and Prejudice with Zombies, and 28 Years Later, plus a spooky VHS treasure hunt involving local businesses. 

There’s a live Every Movie Ever! podcast recording with audience participation, a secret screening, and an exclusive director interview. 

On Sunday, a revealing Q&A with award-winning Shropshire stuntman Justin Pearson (James Bond, Wonder Woman) takes audiences behind the scenes of popular movies.

Regenerative food, ethical farming and emotional drama take centre stage with cheese tastings at OMH and Wem and tasting stalls at Wem from The Rare Dairy and the Shropshire Good Food trail. Speakers will include Green Festival’s Tish Dockerty and Perry Wood Farm’s Edd Rollings, following the Ludlow screening of the trailblazing farming doc Six Inches of Soil.

A highlight on Saturday is The Big Cheese-Off at Wem: a Shropshire vs France showdown. 

The blindfolded judges will be Great British Menu star chef Stuart Collins, of Docket, and Young Farmers chair Millie Preece - with the audience providing the decisive vote.

This fun event, with cheese tasting notes led by local producer Sarah Appleby, supports the hit French drama about a young farmer, Holy Cow. The film is followed by a Q&A hosted by Little White Lies’ rural-based film critic Soma Ghosh in conversation with Preece, Becky Bain, and Catherine Holbrook of The Rare Dairy - discussing the real lives of young and ethical dairy farmers.

The groundbreaking bring-a-friend-for-free ticket scheme, Films for Farmers, is available at Wem, Ludlow, and Shrewsbury cinemas. 

At OMH, the red carpet Withnail and I gala, curated by the Shropshire Young Curators, Tom Morris, Joe Williams, Luke Bennett, James Yeo, and hosted by BBC Shropshire Film critic Carl Jones, has sold out. 

The landmark café-cinema is being soundscaped into a 1960s pub, inspired by the iconic British comedy. “We wanted to reflect the boldness of our community’s young talent,” said Amanda Evans, OMH manager.

“Creative curating gives indie cinemas the chance to do that.”