Whitley bay Film Festival are over the moon to be presenting this very special event:

Still Crazy (1998) with special guest Bill Nighy introduced by our patron, screenwriter Ian La Frenais. 

 

Written by the comedy genius duo Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and directed by Brian Gibson, Still Crazy introduces us to 1970s rock band Strange Fruit, purveyors of what would now be called ‘Classic Rock’. They lived the rock & roll lifestyle to the max - groupies, drugs, internal tension and a Syd Barrettesque genius who burned out and disappeared, presumed dead. Then God invents the Sex Pistols, lightning strikes the stage during an outdoor festival, and it was all over: a typically tragic story of a bunch of young guys that “peaked too soon”.

 

20 years on and these former rock gods have sunk deep into obscurity. When the idea of a reunion tour is lodged in the head of Tony, former keyboard player of the Fruits, he sets out to find his bandmates with the help of former manager Karen to see if they can get the band back together. Will they be able to recapture the spirit of the band? Will internal tensions once again rise to the surface? How will the new guitarist fit in? Strange Fruit invite you to come on tour with them, find out the answers to these burning questions, and to listen out for the immortal line: “what was he wearing?”.

 

The soundtrack is high quality, with contributions from Clive Langer (Deaf School), Jeff Lynne (ELO), Chris Difford (Squeeze) and many other mainstays of British music, not forgetting Mick Jones of Foreigner fame.

 

The film stars Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall, Juliet Aubrey, Helena Bergström, Bruce Robinson, and the mighty singing colossus that is Bill Nighy. Nighy is an award winning British actor and comedian with an astonishing career. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981 and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991. By 2003 Bill Nighy became known around the world as Billy Mack, the aging pop star in Love Actually. 

 

He is also known for his roles in the films Underworld, Shaun of the Dead, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hot Fuzz, Valkyrie, G-Force, The Boat That Rocked, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, About Time, Pride, Emma...(to name just a few) and provided voice talents in the films The Magic Roundabout, Flushed Away and Rango. 

 

Following the film, presenter Charlie Charlton will chat to Bill Nighy about his astonishing career. This will be followed by a Q & A. 

 

We’ll also be screening Their Finest (2016) starring Bill Nighy on the lead up to this event at the Rendezvous Café on the 24th Sep. Please see our full festival programme for more details. www.whitleybayfilmfestival.co.uk

​