Tour de Cinema

On July 5^th, the world’s most famous cycle race will be begin right here in Yorkshire. ‘Le Grand Depart’ marks the start of the Tour de France, and in its first stage, the athletes will travel the 190km between the Headrow in Leeds and Harrogate. Millions of spectators are expected to line the route as the race makes its first voyage to the north of England, and naturally, an event this momentous is being commemorated by the council.

In anticipation of all this, the people in charge of the Yorkshire Festival have commissioned an event they are calling ‘the Tour de Cinema’. In collaboration with the National Trust, Cine Yorkshire and many, many others, thirty ‘super-high-definition screens’ are being set up all over the county, from Sheffield’s Peace Gardens to Fountains Abbey, in order to show a range of films all themed around cycling. Audience members are encouraged to cycle to the destinations, and are invited to enjoy an afternoon chronicling Britain’s cycling heritage while sat out in the Yorkshire countryside.

Alongside a collection of films about Yorkshire life (including Alan Bennett’s rarely-seen A Day Out), the Tour de Cinema also features a couple of newly commissioned works. The first of these, titled Velorama, has been made by award-winning director Daisy Asquith and celebrates 100 years of Bicycle on film set to the tones of Bill Nelson and Chumbawamba. The second piece, From Trike to Bike, has been produced by the Yorkshire Film Archive and is made up of clips from their vast collections. The film explores our own personal experiences with the sport, and in their own words, creates ‘a moving montage of cycling memories.’ These premiered on March 28^th at Bradford Cathedral – the event’s opening night.

Since then, a number of locations have already experienced the Tour de Cinema. Back in April, an outdoor cinema was set up at Malham Cove, and on May 17^th the screens visited Brimham Rocks. Alongside these, indoor screenings have been arranged in a number of community and village halls. However, unlike the outside ones, these may not be free to watch.

As of now, audiences will have until July 6^th to catch one of these showings, although more are expected to be announced. Outdoor screenings are free, indoor ones might be charged.

More information and full details of the screening locations can be found on the Yorkshire Festival website, www.festival.yorkshire.com/events/tour-de-cinema

Visit TSOTA’s Events pages for Yorkshire Festival events around Leeds. Click HERE for details of Leeds BIG SCREEN event in Millennium Square.

Adam Button