Akenfield Film 50
Sunday 24th November, 11:00-16:00
Tickets are £5.00 and can be purchased online >>>
On Sunday 24 November, CreativeUEA is hosting a full day of events at The Enterprise Centre at the University of East Anglia (UEA), marking the 50th anniversary of Sir Peter Hall’s landmark film Akenfield, with thanks to National Lottery players and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Join us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sir Peter Hall’s 1974 film Akenfield.
At this full day event, you’ll have the chance to watch some of the highlights from EAFA’s collections connected to the making of the 1974 film.
Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village, was written by Ronald Blythe and published in 1969. Depicting life in Suffolk villages, it was based on the recollections of farmers, artisans and residents living near the author in the 1960s. In 1974, the book was adapted for film by Sir Peter Hall and was seen by a television audience of 14 million viewers when it was first broadcast on ITV in January 1975, becoming the first film to be simultaneously shown on terrestrial TV and released in British cinemas.
The programme of events celebrating 50 years of the film includes:-
- A screening of Sir Peter Hall’s film, Akenfield (1974).
- Screenings of short films created by sixth-form students in East Anglia for the education project Akenfield Now (2018-2024). Akenfield Now was a UEA education research project which introduced the work of Ronald Blythe and Sir Peter Hall to students who conducted oral history interviews with residents of the ‘Akenfield’ locality and made original films.
- Reflections on making Akenfield by Jenny Hall, daughter of Sir Peter Hall.
- A performance by singer-songwriter Wes Finch, of work inspired by Akenfield.
- Countless Edens, an exhibition of photography of Ronald Blythe’s home and garden in Wormingford by photographer Mark Edwards, who will also discuss his experience working with the author.
- A compilation of films representing East Anglia, compiled by the East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) including rarely seen outtakes from the original Akenfield film shoot.
Event details
Tickets: Can be purchased online for £5.00 >>>
Date: Sunday 24 November 2024
Time: 11:00am – 16:00
Venue: The Enterprise Centre, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7FJ
Finding the venue: UEA is located in Norwich. The Enterprise Centre (TEC) is located on University Drive on UEA campus opposite the Sportspark.
For more information about UEA and travel information please visit www.uea.ac.uk/about us
This event is hosted by CreativeUEA.
CreativeUEA builds on UEA’s longstanding history of creativity and innovation – across the arts, sciences, social sciences and enterprise – to explore new areas of interdisciplinary research, learning, action and outreach.
They work with partners across the region, nationally and internationally, to explore the links between creativity, enterprise and innovation, generating and developing cutting-edge projects to create a better future for all.
Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the CreativeUEA theme and ethos, which embeds approaches to research that will influence teaching and learning as well as emphasise the centrality of creativity at all stages of development to foster talent, health and wellbeing.
You can read more about CreativeUEA and their work with partners across the region here.
Image header: Sir Peter Hall and Ronald Blythe on set with the cast of Akenfield (image courtesy of ITV Anglia and EAFA)