Empire Presents BIG SCREEN

In its inaugural year, this exciting film extravaganza, which hopes to become the Glastonbury of film, will be opened by Indiana Jones and James Bond and closed by Dr Who; or at least the actors who play them! Jon Favreau's blending of science fiction and the old West Cowboys & Aliens will kick start the event with stars Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford to attend for the world premiere, while the remake of classic 80€™s horror Fright Night 3D, starring Colin Farrell and David Tennant, has been picked as the movie to close the event. And these are just a few of the stars to attend the 3 day event taking place on the weekend of the 12th of August at the O2, which is quickly becoming as synonymous with film as it is with music, having hosted last year€™s Chronicles of Narnia and more recently the Justin Bieber Never Say Never documentary premieres. Taking over from Moviecon, which was hosted at the BFI on the Southbank, this new and improved, bigger, better and bolder event is aimed at mainstream audiences and fans of blockbusters new and old. Empire hopes the event will be a film festival for mainstream audiences, teenagers and families as opposed to most film festivals which ostensibly cater for fans of film fanatics, €˜filmies€™ and fans of arthouse cinema. Bauer Media's Stuart Williams, a key organiser for the event says

€œThis is like Glastonbury for the movies, something for the general film fan to come and enjoy."

In addition to hosting a number of world and UK premiers of big summer blockbusters, the event also will host screenings of classic movies from yesteryear and have guest introductions from some of the biggest names in film, as it takes over the entire Cineworld at the O2, which boasts the biggest cinema screen in Europe, plus the 1600 seater O2 Indigo Room. Big Screen proves to have a Comic-Con feel to it, as guests will have a chance to get up close and personal with characters from their favourite blockbusters, with a Star Wars exhibition being the key attraction; so prepare for storm troopers patrolling the halls. And while stars Amy Adams and Jason Segel are not confirmed, Kermit, Piggy and all the Muppet stars of their latest outing due out this summer, have all signed on the dotted line and were quoted as being €œvery excited about visiting the O2 for the first time€ to promote The Muppets! While many of the stars attending remain secret, Williams does promise autograph fans their fix, with a section being cordoned off specifically for fans to meet their heroes and come away with the insignia. So bring your pads and be prepared to queue. There will also props and costumes on display in an area that is being dubbed Hollywood Boulevard, with items from Harry Potter to Star Wars available for fans to see and touch. Not to mention actual sets from the films on show where fans can get their pictures taken in, much like the Stars Wars: A New Hope exhibit, which is on show at The London Film Museum on the Southbank at the moment. And for everyone who has ever wondered just how Hollywood manages to take us off to Galaxies far, far away, eras long, long ago, bring dinosaurs back to life, create walking, talking imps, elves, dwarfs and trolls, giant robots and make cars fly through the air, there is an amazing Special FX exhibit which promises a unique opportunity to gain a better understanding of how some of the most spectacular scenes of all time have been filmed with live demonstrations from visual effects co-ordinators and stunt men. Williams goes on to say, "We've got over 250 movie related experiences happening over the weekend, with screenings in The O2's cinemas, guest appearances, special effects demonstrations and previews. "We hope it will be a huge success and we'll be back for many years to come." Plus there€™s a secret Premiere, which we here at WhatCulture! are putting our money on Tintin! The event takes place on the 12 €“ 14th of August at the O2. Tickets are on sale now. For more details visit http://www.empirebigscreen.com/