Oscar winner Sixto Rodruiguez opens film festival (From Swindon Advertiser)

Oscar winner opens film festival in Swindon

12:28pm Tuesday 26th February 2013 in News

THE organisers of the Swindon Film Festival are delighted that the opening film in this year’s festival, Searching For Sugar Man, has been awarded the Best Documentary Oscar.

The film, which will be shown at Swindon Central Library on Friday, is a Swedish-British production about the hunt for 1970s folk icon Sixto Rodruiguez.

Festival organiser Barbara Hoffbauer said: “This is excellent news for an excellent film. After its success at the BAFTAs earlier this month we thought it might do well.

“It’s great that such an interesting and deserving film from a young film maker gets this accolade.”.

Tickets for the film, which are on sale at the Visitor Information Centre in Swindon Central Library, are selling well.

“Anyone who is planning to come to the screening on Friday would do well to book in advance as space is limited,” said Barbara.

One of the other films in the festival, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, which was also among the Oscar contenders, has already sold out.

Also featuring in the festival and among the Oscar winners were Anna Karenina, showing at Royal Wootton Basset on March 5, which won for best costume, and Skyfall, which won two awards, for sound editing and original song. Skyfall will be at Highworth on Sunday.

Swindon Film Festival 2013 runs from March 1-10. The full programme with details of venues and tickets can be found at www.swindonfilmfestival.org.