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This year’s Cornwall Film Festival will screen Pablo Larraín’s latest, Spencer. Starring Kristen Stewart, the film tells the story of the fateful night that Lady Diana decided to end her marriage to Prince Charles. The film has garnered critical acclaim from international film festivals as well as Oscar buzz for Stewart’s career-best performance. Before Stewart became Diana, she dabbled in various film genres and worked with master filmmakers like Kelly Reichardt and Olivier Assayas. From blockbusters to indies, the 31-year-old actress has proven her versatility across a wide range of roles since a young age. The Mor Media Charity team shared their personal favourite Kristen Stewart films. Their diverse selections demonstrate Stewart’s talent to deliver unforgettable performances. CFF business manager Sally Barnett chose Panic Room (2002) as her favourite Kristen Stewart film. As a child actor, Stewart starred in David Fincher’s thriller alongside Jodie Foster and Forest Whitaker. The film marked the launch of Stewart’s career as she gave a memorable performance that was never dwarfed by those of her older co-stars. She embodied complex emotions as the only child of a divorced mother whose new house was under attack. A few years later, Stewart was cast as Bella Swan in the film adaptation of the best-selling YA phenomenon Twilight (2008). Over the following five years, her fame skyrocketed as millions of viewers avidly rushed to the cinemas to watch the sequels unfold on the big screen. Despite her strong association with the franchise, Stewart managed to break free from being typecast in teen flicks and fantasy films. After completing the second Twilight film, she played the legendary singer Joan Jett in The Runaways (2010). It was her first but not her last biopic production. Later in her career, she portrayed other real-life figures including the literary persona JT LeRoy and French actress-activist Jean Seberg. Kristen Stewart Breaks Down Her Career, from Panic Room to Twilight | Vanity Fair Stewart’s name is linked to blockbusters as it is to independent filmmaking. She might be well known for her Twilight movies and her recent role in Elizabeth Banks’ Charlie’s Angels (2019) reboot but over the past decade, she solidified her place in indie cinema. CFF executive director Louise Fox picked Stewart’s award-winning indie film Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) as her favourite. The film was Stewart’s first collaboration with French director Olivier Assayas. She played Valentine, a young personal assistant to famous actress Maria Enders (played by Juliette Binoche). The film earned her a César Award for Best Actress in 2015, making her the first American actress to ever win the award. She reunited with Assayas a couple of years later in my personal favourite Stewart film, Personal Shopper (2016). She gave a haunting performance, tackling the impact of grief in this supernatural yet grounded film. Today, Kristen Stewart has grown beyond the screen and into an international queer icon. Most recently, the actress played a lesbian character named Abby in Hulu’s Christmas rom-com Happiest Season (2020). Directed by Clea Duvall, the film followed Abby who spends the holidays with the family of her closeted girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis). Lyanna Hindley, the coordinator of CFF’s Screen Stars of Tomorrow, chose the film as her favourite, praising Stewart’s comedic skills. After the film’s release, Duvall interviewed Stewart for InStyle where they discussed her queer identity and its intersection with cinema and her personal life. Stewart will be seen next in David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future which is currently in post-production. Don’t miss her in Spencer at the 2021 Cornwall Film Festival this November. Book your tickets now!

Last week, two new trailers announced the release of upcoming black and white films: Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth and Rebecca Hall’s Passing. Both films rely on stark monochromatic visuals that strip away the familiar colourful palettes found in most modern films. Considering the Shakespearean source material, Coen’s decision seems a deliberately theatrical one. However, Hall’s might be simplistic given the film’s racial themes. What is it about black and white that make them such compelling choices when a spectrum of countless colours exists? Let’s take a look at memorable monochromatic films that made a lasting impression in modern cinema. One of the most iconic black and white films that always comes to mind is Woody Allen’s Manhattan (1979). Allen opted for monochromatic tones to illustrate his magical vision of New York City. The beautiful Queensboro bridge shot lives on in our minds until today. Fast forward to the nineties, auteurs including Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton produced stellar black and white films that defined their careers. In Schindler’s List (1993), Spielberg conveyed the yin and yang of humanity during the Nazi regime through his black and white imagery. Burton, on the other hand, shared the story of an infamous filmmaker using monochromatic visuals in his double Oscar-winning cult classic Ed Wood (1994). Many directors have tried their hand at shooting their films in black and white. Master filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky experimented with the power of monochrome early on in their careers. In 1998, both directors made their feature debuts in black and white. While Nolan’s Following garnered critical acclaim at the Slamdance Film Festival, Aronofsky’s Pi earned him the Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Both debuts demonstrated how a skilled director can capture intense emotion, even obsession, using only black and white compositions. The new millennium further popularized the use of monochromatic filmmaking in radical new ways. Filmmakers Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez utilized black and white to translate the original graphic novel to their seminal gritty action film, Sin City (2005). Similarly, Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud brought Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel to life in the black and white animated feature, Persepolis (2007). Sometimes monochrome is simply the right choice for the story being told. When Michel Hazanavicius wanted to tell a story set in Hollywood’s silent era, he resorted to black and white in his Best Picture winner The Artist (2011). So did David Fincher when he revived the untold 1930s story of Hollywood screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz through glamorous sets and glimmering scenes in the monochromatic Mank (2020). At other times, black and white imagery simply becomes a comforting sanctuary for filmmakers. For example, Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo is known for his frequent use of black and white visuals in movies such as The Day After (2017), Grass (2018), and Introduction (2021). The same applies to Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski who painted dreamy black and white portraits of the human condition in Ida (2013) and Cold War (2018). If Allen made movies out of Manhattan, Alfonso Cuarón created cinema out of Roma (2018). The breathtaking black and white photography of Cuarón’s semi-autobiographical film moved hearts around the world, even at the Academy which awarded the film three Oscars. A year later, Cornish filmmaker Mark Jenkin showcased the endless potential of monochromatic filmmaking in his feature debut, Bait (2019). Shot on 16mm film, Bait stood out as a textural and experimental production which pushed the boundaries of visual storytelling. Jenkin won the 2019 BAFTA award for Outstanding Debut by a British Filmmaker for his promising first feature. Perhaps a personal favorite black and white film is Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha (2012). The delightful yet at times disheartening tale of a young woman growing up in a big, little world is memorable not only for its poetic screenplay but also for its charming monochromatic cinematography.

Last week saw the official launch of Mor Media Charity - our new name for the umbrella charity organisation responsible for the Cornwall Film Festival. The fun launch event was held at the Princess Pavilions and Gyllyngdune Gardens, and attended by film and media professionals, the Falmouth mayor, Steve Eva, as well as local business owners. Louise Fox, Mor Media Charity director, announced that the Princess Pavilions will be the venue for this year’s 20th ‘Platinom’ (Cornish for Platinum) edition of the festival, a week long event from 15th - 21st November. Reflecting on 20 years of the Cornwall Film Festival, Louise said "I'd like to think that we've made a difference in the whole 20 years, I've certainly seen in my time people going into production or going into great jobs. The 20-year legacy of the Cornwall Film Festival has made a lasting impact. I think we've always been more than a film festival." Mor Media Charity Director, Louise Fox, Mor Media Charity launch, 20th August, Princess Pavilions. Photo Credit: @juliaannawrzesinska & @jw.photolens The Princess Pavilions has recently reopened after a period of closure during the pandemic, and is now in the hands of the town council and people of Falmouth. Mor Media Charity are working closely with director of cultural services, Henrietta Boex, to get the Pavilions ‘match fit’ for festival events. Louise said “There’s a lot of work to do but we have a lot of support from the community, and, together, we hope to create a truly great entertainment venue for the people of Falmouth, owned by the people of Falmouth. The week-long Cornwall Film Festival will feature curated screenings with film+ activity features, and emerging filmmaking voices that demonstrate new approaches and originality to the screen. Diversity sits at the heart of the 2021 programme. Expect: GALAS | SCREEN HERITAGE & ARCHIVE | DOCUMENTARIES | BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKERS | THRILL | FROM EUROPE WITH LOVE | WONDERFUL WORLD | SHORT FILMS This year we’ll also introduce Digital Futures, a new programme of creative media projects designed to equip young people and create digital citizens for the future, with an emphasis on health, wellbeing and creativity, drawing from and inspired by the moving image. Mor Media Charity isn’t just focussing on the festival - we’re currently offering a free creative writing programme for Cornish residents, as well as having a new community project in production - Community Stories Cornwall, the follow up to our hugely successful Coronavirus Stories, Cornwall project - a social record of people living in Cornwall during Covid now on it’s way to the British Library. Mor Media Charity Trustees Ben Fullman and Rachel Haddy, Mor Media Charity launch, 20th August, Princess Pavilions. Photo Credit: @juliaannawrzesinska & @jw.photolens Falmouth Town Mayor, Steve Eva, Mor Media Charity launch, 20th August, Princess Pavilions. Photo Credit: @juliaannawrzesinska & @jw.photolens ​

From its part in an Oscar nomination to learning opportunities for people at all levels in the creative world, Mor Media Charity, formerl y the Cornwall Film Festival, is proving to be a real hit. The charity is rebranding to reflect the full range of work it now carries out across the creative community in Cornwall and beyond, including public workshops and internships, although the festival itself will remain a vital part of its work. Mor Media has been an entry point into the media industry for many, including Joshua James Richardson, a previous winner of the film festival, who earlier this year received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography for his work on Nomadland. Former Cornwall Film Festival volunteer and intern Michael Roberts, who is now xxx said: “Without the nurturing of CFF executive director Louise Fox and the whole team, my career would not be in the position it is today.” He added: “Mor Media has developed countless community networking sessions and training opportunities to help the industry thrive. Cornwall’s film and media industry is undoubtedly more vibrant, educated and flourishing thanks to the group’s work.” Meanwhile, previous festival winner and volunteer Lawrence Donoghue said: “In 2019, I had my short film Flying Lessons screened and was lucky enough to be presented with a writing award. It was a huge boost to my confidence and felt like my voice had a place on the big screen.” As well as helping those working in the industry, Mor Media has also provided learning opportunities for everyone through education and workshops. Its recent Get Creative! Workshops, which included poetry and novel writing, received positive feedback, with one participant saying: “It was relaxed, fun and informative and there was no pressure to be anything other than yourself and take away what you needed to from it all. “ Another described the workshop as “phenomenal” and “life-changing!” The rebranded charity aims to keep building on the passion for creative work in the community through a series of programmes and events, as well as helping to improve career prospects and deepen people’s understanding of the media industry. Mor Media also plans to bring the Cornish community together in a special project called Community Stories Cornwall, an audio-visual record of the experiences of local people throughout the coronavirus pandemic.