Report by Eileen O’Brien

ROLL out the red carpet. A movie festival is coming to Thanet.

The isle is set to rival Cannes next year when it stages an international film festival.

The awards, which will receive entries from movie-makers around the globe, will be held between June 20 to 27, 2008. Festival President Carl Tooney, says it will put Thanet on the movie map.

He said: “There’s a five-year plan for this. It will be a truly international event

Carl says that people will be able to see films at the Thanet festival that they won’t see anywhere else.
“There will be everything from runof-the-mill films to independent movies and short animation: “There’s going to be something for all the family.”

The former St George’s pupil, who has lived in Thanet all his life, is no stranger to the world of film festivals. He’s just finished hosting the sixth Tenerife International Film Festival.

The father of five now wants to repeat the process on his home turf to put something back into the community.

He said: “As it gets established it will bring a real buzz to Thanet. The festival will help the hospitality industry and trade generally.

“We’ve proved that the festival in Tenerife benefits the community and that’s what we want to do here.”

For more information, contact Carl at info@ctmedia.co.uk or call 01843 224924.