Star Wars actor surprises film festival organisers

Film festival organisers say they were left "really surprised" after Star Wars Daisy Ridley agreed to join their judging panel.

The 34-year-old - best known for playing Rey in the sci-fi franchise - agreed "almost straight away" to get involved with Worcester Film Festival, said its co-founder Henrik Harms.

The festival takes place at the Odeon cinema in Foregate Street from 22 to 26 September, showcasing more than 250 films across five days.

"We usually reach out every year to agents to see if there would be anyone up for it and we were really surprised when Daisy's agent came back almost straight away to say yes," said Harms.

"She can't make it, unfortunately, to the ceremony but she's given us a video to play and it is the most wholesome video," he added.

"In it, she says it's the first time she's ever done judging for a film festival before so that's really nice."

The BBC has approached Ridley's agent for comment.

The festival will feature screenings and Q&As with established and emerging talent, with organisers saying their aim is to bring more of the film industry to the region and create a space for people to enjoy independent cinema.

Ridley will also be joined on the judging panel by Jessica Henwick, best known for her role in Game of Thrones.

Co-founders Harms and Kirstie Gregory said: "We love this area and we're proud to be working with so many fantastic organisations.

"We've really seen this region grow over the last few years and the fact that such notable talent are being attracted to our event is a testament to the region's growing reputation on the film industry stage."

Nominations span independent shorts and full-length features, with 25 categories including British short film, Midlands short film, emerging filmmaker and British feature film.

Since launching in 2021 the festival's audience has grown from 250 to more than 2,000 attendees, while previous editions have attracted names including Martin Freeman, Patrick Fabian, Ralph Ineson and Mathew Horne.

Organisers have also secured partnerships with BAFTA, ODEON and RTS Midlands, while the festival is accredited by the British Independent Film Awards.

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