Yarns Unveils James King as 2022 Screening Party Host

Yarns has announced that James King will host this year’s screening party, set to take place on 16th November at Prince Charles Cinema.

James is a writer, broadcaster and one of the UK’s best-known film critics. He has appeared regularly on television and radio programmes, including the BBC News Film Review, as well as being BBC Radio 2’s resident movie critic on the Jo Whiley Show. James also writes a weekly column for HELLO! Online.

After a two-year hiatus, Stitch Editing co-owners Leo King and Tim Hardy are delighted to have King on board for the return of Yarns. Tim comments, “The team are beyond excited to have James as our host. Not only is he a brilliant personality, but he’s also totally behind our mission to uncover emerging talent from all backgrounds. Having James on board shows just how high the quality of the competition has been this year. He’s going to be a fantastic addition to the night, and we can’t wait for bigger celebration than ever on November 16th.” 

This year will see four finalists compete for the title of Yarns champion, premiering their short film to an audience of over 300 at the Prince Charles Cinema. As with previous years, the winning film will be chosen by an audience vote. This will take place at the Yarns afterparty, to be held at Phoenix Arts Club in Soho. 

The four films commissioned for 2022 explored the brief ‘Myths’, with entrants invited to create a short film idea based on one of six Greek legends. Taking inspiration from tales such as Narcissus and Icarus, the final films and their directors are: 

‘It’s Not You, It’s Me’ (Carys Thomas & Thorbjørn Kragh), ‘Dinner at The Smyths’ (Ash Hamilton & Bex Conyngham-Hynes), ‘Dishes, Dishes, Dishes’ (Emma Parkinson) and ‘Fly’ (Naomi George).

In traditional Yarns style, the night will be a celebration of filmmaking talent, taking place in front of the industry’s best and brightest. Yarns is an entirely not-for-profit initiative and has consistently identified the next wave of directing talent. Providing finalists with a platform to turn their ideas into professional short films, Yarns is supported by some of the industry’s foremost institutions. Those involved in creating the films this year, through their time, expertise and sponsorship are Kodak, Slingshot Intergalactic, Rascal Post, TAG Creative Arts, Nineteen Twenty and Freefolk.

Invites are to be sent out next week, more information is available here.