THE third Ilkley Film Festival has been hailed a success with 3,783 people watching more than 40 screenings, across seven genres, over five busy days.

The Festival finished on a high on Sunday with audiences at the King's Hall enjoying the award-winning cult classic Run Lola Run accompanied live by the jazz band The Bays.

The band was performing live for the first time in over five years, headed by Andy Gangadeen, the drummer for Chase ’N’ Status. The score, 100 per cent improvised, had never before been performed in Yorkshire, making this event an exclusive one-off experience for the Festival.

For many a highlight of the festival came on the opening night on last Wednesday, with a very special 20th anniversary showing of Brassed Off.

To mark the occasion director of the film Mark Herman and stars of the film Stephen Tompkinson (Wild at Heart, DCI Banks, Drop the Dead Donkey) and Philip Jackson (Agatha Christie: Poirot, Raised by Wolves, Little Voice) were in attendance at the King's Hall to reminisce about filming the classic British comedy across Yorkshire in the mid 1990s.

From horror and thriller, comedy and romance, to hard-hitting documentaries and live musical screenings, the Festival also brought a number of firsts to the town – including screenings at the new boutique Ilkley Cinema on Leeds Road.

Martin Pilkington, Ilkley Film Festival Director said: “It’s been another incredible year for the Festival with more screenings and venues than ever before involved making the event even more special for the 3,783 audience members who joined us over five very busy days.

"Highlights for me include an emotional celebration with the cast and crew of ‘Brassed Off’, with tears and laughter throughout it was wonderful to remember this British classic alongside those who lived it.

"Seeing ‘Run Lola Run’ with a live completely improvised score by ‘The Bays’ was an electrifying way to finish the festival in style and now it’s on to planning for next year when the Festival moves to slightly later in the year - 29 March until 2 April 2017.”