Thursday 23rd November, 8.00pm (T)

Director: Jonas Cornell, Feature, 94 minutes, Sweden, 1967.

This is a very exciting year for Northern Lights’ home, the Tyneside Cinema. The Cinema is moving out to the Old Town Hall, Gateshead as its Pilgrim Street HQ undergoes an extensive and much needed restoration and extension. Once finished, it means we will have more screens and meeting spaces to make Northern Lights even bigger.

The last night of NLFF 2006 is the last picture show on Pilgrim Street (for the time being) and as we all believe in the circle of life, we’re delighted to close NLFF and this chapter of the Tyneside’s life with the very first movie that opened the cinema as the Tyneside Film Theatre way back in 1968, Swedish comedy Hugs And Kisses by Jonas Cornell.

The closing gala of the festival will be your ONLY chance to see this film on the big screen and will be followed, in true Tyneside Cinema tradition by a cracking party to see the old girl off for her facelift in style.

Hugs and Kisses 18 Puss and Kram

The film that opened the North East’s ‘home for artistic films’ in 1968 caused a storm of controversy in the media. The film’s star Agneta Ekmanner appears nude in one scene showing what a spluttering national newspaper could only describe in print as “female p***c hair” (oh those Swedes!?!). The scene had to be cut to enable the film to be shown in London (so much for the swinging sixties!) but not here in the fearless Geordie capital of culture, where Newcastle City’s Councillor Waters, Acting Chairman of the Watch Committee, let North East filmgoers see the full film.

Hugs And Kisses is a witty, satirical comedy about three bohemian Swedes in the 60s. John is a romantic writer who’s been chucked out of his home by his girlfriend. When he bumps into old school friend Max in a clothes store he’s invited to move in with Max and his wife Eva. Once there, he realises that as well as being frustrated at having no relationship of his own anymore, he’s also expected to be unpaid housekeeper to his new housemates. Not content with the set up, he starts to instigate some role-reversal, and stakes a claim on the household that means complications for everyone...

“Cool, understated...funny...elegantly filmed” - The Guardian

“Jonas Cornell seems to me to have something of the quality of a Swedish Pinter” - Illustrated London News

Tickets:
Hugs And Kisses only: £6.00
Hugs And Kisses plus Tyneside Closing Party: £12.00
Tyneside Closing Party only: £10.00
Advance Booking is advised. All proceeds go to the Tyneside Cinema Appeal, a registered charity.