From Page To Screen Festival is on all this week and is looking to be the biggest yet.

Advanced sales are the highest they have ever been, thanks to the first class line up of classic and contemporary cinema that will be coming to Bridport throughout the week.

The big evening films look set to be a sell out, in part due to the high calibre of special guests including Alex Jennings, star of Lady In The Van, Larry Elliot, economic editor of The Guardian and Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley, the executive producers of Carol.

In addition from the contemporary big budget film, the festival looks back at examples of films that have successfully been adapted from books. One exemplary example of this is Evelyn Waugh’s The Loved One on Sunday 3rd. His grandson Alexander Waugh will be a special guest and he is bringing his private collection of memorabilia from his Grandfather’s collection, including the original posters and photographs from the film in the 1960’s. This will all be available to look through during the Film Buffs Bruch at 1pm on Sunday 3rd. Alexander Waugh will also be speaking to director Charles Sturridge about his grandfather’s love of film and Charles will be reflecting on his experiences of adapting Waugh’s work to film when he directed the famous version of Brideshead Revisited starring Jeremy Irons in the 1980 and Lawrence Olivier in the 1980’s.

There are 22 films to chose from over the 5 days. With so many to choose from the committee who help to programme the festival have given their top picks.

I'm really looking forward to seeing This Sporting Life again as I last saw it as a film mad teenager with my mates from school and remember vividly the powerful images on the rugby field and the uncompromising, intense relationship between Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts.

It' s rarely screened but arguably the best of the early 60s British new wave films.

Paul Marshall- This Sporting Life, Wed 30 March, 2pm

From Page to Screen always gives us a chance to see obscure cinematic gems and this year I'm looking forward to the screening of The Loved One on Sunday April 3 at 2pm. It's a 1965 black and white comedy about the bizarre world of the LA funeral business - deemed too sick-humoured and unorthodox at the time it's now seen as a sixties classic and was even used as the basis for a Dr Who serial.

It was adapted from the Evelyn Waugh novel of the same name that he created when he was in Hollywood in the late 40s for meetings with MGM about their proposal to adapt Brideshead Revisited. That film was never made but the ITV series was directed to great acclaim by this festival's curator, Charles Sturridge. I’m really looking forward to the talk after the screening when Charles will be in conversation with Evelyn Waugh's grandson and family biographer, Alexander. It's a rare opportunity to hear the inside story of adapting for screen the works of one of Britain's greatest novelists.

Ines Cavill - The Loved One, Sunday 3rd, 2pm

The great film critic Roger Ebert wrote of F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu" (1922):"Here is the story of Dracula before it was buried alive in clichés, jokes, TV skits, cartoons and more than 30 other films." At FPTS 2016 we will get to watch this great movie, in the dead of night in St Mary’s Church, with the acclaimed film composer Adrian Johnston performing a live score. The hairs on back of my head are already standing up!

Nic Jeune, Nosferatu, Saturday 2nd. 10.30pm St.Mary’s Church