A LONG running local film festival is back after a two-year hiatus with five outdoor film screenings taking place this month.

The Purbeck Film Festival has been screening films since 1997 and will return for the first time since 2019, when Covid restrictions resulted in the cancellation of all bookings, following a record year of 20,000 ticket sales.

Manager Julie Sharman said: “We are really looking forward to returning to the ever-popular Holme for Gardens on Thursday August 19 to screen Tamara Drewe in their beautiful garden amphitheatre.

“In addition, we will be screening four films in The Aviary Glade at Durlston Country Park, the first on Saturday August 21 and three cult films over the Bank Holiday weekend, The Princess Bride, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and The Blair Witch Project.”

The Purbeck Film Festival is known for its extra touches and insights into the film industry including film notes and live Q&A sessions with directors, actors and producers.

One filmgoer commented: “It's one of the highlights of my year. I love those warm summer evenings watching films under the stars.”

Julie added: “We truly believe that watching films should be a shared social experience – emotions are amplified when you are with a large group of like-minded people.

“Numbers will be very limited, so we urge people to book up quickly.”

For more information, visit www.purbeckfilm.com