Cinecity 2013: My guide to being a film festival volunteer

In November, I helped out at Brighton's annual film festival run by the fantastic Cinecity team. The theme for the festival's 11th year was 'Adventures in World Cinema', so as you'd imagine, the schedule spanned global offerings from mellifluous Mexico to forward France and many film making nations in-between. The festival also payed homage to Jan Švankmajer, the wonderfully imaginative Czech surrealist filmmaker, with free screenings of his bizarre short films and an exhibition of his incredibly detailed and eclectic treasures, kindly on display for the inquisitive.

How to stylishly #SeeFilmDifferently

Last night I was treated to a taste of movie-star magic.

The foyer of Brighton’s Duke of York’s Picturehouse glowed invitingly, on an otherwise inclemently wan British Tuesday evening. It didn’t take long to spot the red carpet and the dapper venue staff milling around, anticipating the opening doors to their exclusive one-off screening of the 1959 classic comedy, Some Like It Hot. Starring none other than blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, I am a very lucky gal to have had a ticket to the most smouldering event in town.

AUDIO: Ray Harryhausen; Special Effects Titan Q&A at Gate Picturehouse

Born in the 80s? Then Christmas time, if anything like mine, was spent in front of the television, with He-Man and Moss Man figures cast aside to duel by themselves as I was enveloped in my world within that box of pixels and fluorescence.

Christmas has always been a time of favoured repetition, a day or two to relax and indulge, rarely changing from the last, doubtlessly changing much to the next. The Brussel sprouts and spring greens bubbled away as my mother conjured up a magical festive feast, sisters carried out their ritual of squabbling over their stocking filler triumphs in the background and Dad, having cleverly bored us to yawns by putting on The Great Escape, would be left in his grown-up haven of wrapping-paper strewn solitude in the living room downstairs.