Hollywood A-listers can often be glimpsed at Glastonbury taking advantage of the relative anonymity away from the glare of paparazzi. And this year some of cinema’s biggest stars are not just enjoying downtime on Worthy Farm, they are taking part in one of the biggest draws.
The screening programme from Pilton Palais, tucked away near the acoustic stage, is arguably better than many film festivals. On Friday Florence Pugh is introducing Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic Dune: Part 2 alongside a Q&A, and in the evening Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott are taking part in a talk after a screening of All of Us Strangers alongside its director, Andrew Haigh.
Scott is on stage again to discuss Vanya (Saturday, 12.30pm); Tilda Swinton is introducing Only Lovers Left Alive (Sunday, 12.30am); Cate Blanchett discusses her Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There (Sunday, 11am); and Edgar Wright is presenting two films – Baby Driver (Friday, 12.30am) and a 20th-anniversary screening of Shaun of the Dead (Saturday, 1pm) alongside Simon Pegg.
Pilton Palais’ capacity of 1,100 could be tested this year as people cram in to get a glimpse of Mescal and the rest of the A-listers, and there are hopes the lineup could be expanded even further.
There are also screenings of the surprise box office hit Inside Out 2, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Kneecap’s riotous docudrama, with the band and director in attendance. Russell Crowe is also at Glastonbury this year, performing on the acoustic stage.
The film tent has attracted some A-listers in the past – in 2017, Brad Pitt made a surprise appearance – but this year the star wattage is potentially outshining the Pyramid stage headliners.
The co-curator Riyad Mustafa said the impressive lineup was partly born out of necessity. Pilton Palais is a Glastonbury institution, first opening in 1982 – initially as a place where children’s films could be screened. After that proved a success, Michael Eavis expanded its remit to include films for all ages.
“It used to be the only form of night-time entertainment after the main stages shut down, so there was no competition,” Mustafa said. “Everyone went to the field in the open air and watched films. Now there are more than 70 venues and people’s taste in cinema has changed.”
Swinton was an early supporter, attending every year and bringing along family to help set things up. Slowly the tent began to attract more stars.
Mustafa believes the attraction of the Palais for stars is the chance to support the films they are proud of. “Every year we get more confident approaching talent. All you need to do is introduce a film,” he said. “The talent feel they want to come to Glastonbury because they won’t be pestered or harassed, they can be themselves … the main challenge was finding time for them in between shooting.”
Haigh said the decision to take part was an easy one as he was already a fan of the Palais. He said: “I’ve been before but not for 16 years, so it’s exciting to come back, plus they give you a tent which is always quite nice and you get to be here. Not that I’m really playing at Glastonbury but this is the closest I’ll get.
“The film’s out now everywhere, it’s out on DVD, so it feels like an extra bonus, a special treat.”
Mustafa said luck and hard work had helped produce a bumper year for the tent, but there are hopes that the cinema offering across the festival could one day challenge music’s dominance. “People have suggested that they want it to become like South by Southwest, where the cinema becomes as important as the music,” he said.
Watching a headliner put in a star turn on the Pyramid stage or discovering a new band in a tiny venue will always be part of Glastonbury’s appeal, but Mustafa thinks there is something unique about experiencing film communally on the farm.
“There’s a special sparkle to watching a film at Glastonbury,” he said. “Even if it’s something you’ve seen before … I don’t want to say it’s ‘magical’, because it’s overused, but it is special.”
