Chichester FilmMakers offer their autumn networking event

Chichester FilmMakers, an organisation created to encourage the area’s film-making community, offer their autumn event on Saturday, October 31 from 2.30pm.

The session will offer a chance to hear from film-maker and director Phil Hawkins (Star Wars Origins, Robin And The Hoods and Prancer: A Christmas Tale) amongst a range of other activities.

Phil will be the film industry guest speaker on a day which also includes networking, screenings of locally made films, film production launches and updates, and cast and crew calls.

Chichester FilmMakers founder Jonathan Brooker is looking forward to welcoming everyone to The Assembly Room in Chichester, with tickets, which ideally should be booked in advance, available on https://www.chifilm.studio/event-details/autumn-event-october-2026

“Phil Hawkins is an award-winning feature film and commercials director,” Jonathan said. “He's directed countless high-profile television campaigns around the world and made seven feature films released by a number of the industry’s leading theatrical distributors including Sony, Netflix and Lionsgate. From adaptations of Greek tragedy and a YA novel, to comedy satire and psychological thrillers, Phil's work crosses many genres but retains a cinematic and emotional edge.”

The day will also see screenings of locally produced films and trailers including Time & Tide by Lucy Norberg featuring Samuel West and John Locke; Lest We Forget featuring Mark Chapman; and Bleeding Memories by Maddalena Cagol.

Also important will be networking which will continue into the evening at The Old Cross pub.

Jonathan said: “It all started because I felt there was a lot of talent in Chichester, West Sussex and Portsmouth, and nobody was really tapping into it. We had students graduating and then going off to all the usual media hotspots. We just wanted to try to create much more of a film-making community for them around here. We just thought let's tap into the talent and see if we can get the film industry going in our own neighbourhood. It's a mountain but we are climbing it!

“It has been a steep learning curve. The challenge is that the students coming into this industry have no experience in the industry or of life really. We have had to become attuned to the fact that we have got to restart the learning curve for them and train them again in some ways. It means that we have to hone our skills too. We have got lots of veterans. We see veterans moving back to Chichester or Portsmouth after having worked 30 or 40 years in the industry, and it's refreshing to see these people coming back and feeling that they can be part of this community and helping younger people. Again, it's all part of the learning curve.

“The autumn event is open to anybody that's interested in film-making or wants to see how films are made. The day itself is quite structured but it does mean that you can get to know what is going on around here. We have 20-minute slots for people to talk about their productions, and we have brand-new films that are being launched and shot around here. We're trying to convince people to come back afterwards to show us what they have done, to bring us their trailers and to talk about their journey. It's all about encouraging that community.”