Duncan Jones joins a brilliant line-up of talent at Branchage Festival!

Branchage is thrilled to announce that Duncan Jones will be joining us in Jersey to present his feature debut, the much-lauded lunar odyssey MOON - our Closing Night Gala Screening at Jersey Opera House on Sunday 4th October. Read about Duncan Jones in this Independent article.

Duncan Jones will round off a rich and varied array of Special Guests coming into Jersey over the next 5 days from around the world.

We are delighted to welcome Emmy Award-Winning director Joe Bini to Branchage 2009. Bini has worked alongside director Werner Herzog for well over a decade, and will be flying in from LA especially to join us for our Opening Night Gala screening of ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Australian director Andrew Lancaster will spend a few days in Jersey to accompany the screening of ACCIDENTS HAPPEN, starring Gina Davis.

We’re also looking forward to welcoming a host of fresh documentary filmmakers including Jamie Jay Johnson (SOUNDS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT), Nick Abrahams (THE POSTERS CAME FROM THE WALLS) and Gideon Koppel (SLEEP FURIOUSLY), as well as Mercedes Stalenhoef who will fly in from Amsterdam for our screening of CARMEN MEETS BORAT on Sunday 4th October. Several of these films are presented in association with the True/False documentary film festival, the boutique festival of choice for documentary filmmakers, and great supporters of Branchage. David Wilson from True/False will be over from his home in Missouri for the duration of Branchage 2009.

We can’t wait to meet son of BIG RIVER MAN (and ever supportive star of the film) Borut Strel who will be donning his togs and jumping into the Channel for a sea swim with the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club before the screening!

Our centrepiece gala screening of enchanting children’s animation THE SECRET OF KELLS will feature a Q&A with its Dublin-based Art Director Ross Stewart and we are honoured to have both the directors of British documentary ISOLATION – Luke Seomore and Joseph Bull – at its screening in the Jersey War Tunnels. Luke Seomore will perform his original soundtrack to the film along with musicians David Stephens and Michael Garrad.

Other special guests include the understated and perfectly poised star of UNRELATED, Kathryn Worth, actor David Wood who’ll reminisce with us at our screening of the classic schoolboy wish-fulfilment film IF… and all the way from Durban, South Africa, one of Kim Longinotto’s fiercely compassionate ROUGH AUNTIES, Eureka Olivier.

There’s just time to mention a host of UK film industry visitors, including guests from BAFTA, the UK Film Council, Skillset, London Met, Soda Pictures, Dogwoof, Future Shorts, and not forgetting the our valued partners, Shooting People, who will be running the SHOOTING PEOPLE FILMMAKING CAMPUS throughout the festival.

Finally, we’d like to thank our Festival Patrons who will both be joining us in Jersey this year. Simon Chinn, producer of Oscar-winner MAN ON WIRE, which opened Branchage 2008, and Andrew Kötting, who will be with us this year to launch his 2010 project – A JERSEY JAPE.

We're certain that the outstanding and world-class talent attending the festival will inspire and entertain festival-goers, and in return we'll be giving them a very warm, energetic welcome to the island for Branchage Festival 2009!