PHILY Page has led a successful career in photography and TV production working on shows including BBC Wainwright’s Walks with Julia Bradbury and Cloud Spotting with Gavin Pretor-Pinney.
Philiy may be familiar to some for her appearance on the 2000 BBC island community survival programme Castaway alongside, now household name, Ben Fogle.
After leaving Castaway, Philiy became a professional photojournalist, travelling the world taking images for the national British press including The Guardian, The Times and Marie Claire.
Philiy now lives in Bridport with her husband Paul who runs the “Traditional and Green Construction” company.
This year Philiy has been one of the key players in setting up Bridport’s “From Page To Screen” Film Festival.
The festival runs from Saturday, April 3rd to Friday, April 9th and focuses on big screen adaptations of best selling books. Throughout the festival there will be screenings and talks from some of the industry’s top names at Bridport Arts Centre and The Electric Palace.
WHY were you keen to be involved with the From Page to Screen festival?
Film has always been a huge part of my life; it’s been my career and my hobby. Growing up, our house was always full of writers and artists as my mum used to work for the BBC as a literary agent so I was keen to be involved in the film festival. I also make short films myself.
WHAT was the inspiration behind the festival?
Bridport is already really famous for its Literary Prize and it was obvious for the film festival to develop out of the same stable. The actual inspiration for “From Page To Screen” came when we realised that around six out of ten BAFTA and Oscar winning films started life as a book but no one had cottoned on to doing a film festival just for book adaptations. I love this idea as book adaptations can be quite controversial: people who love books sometimes think that no film is ever as good as the written original whereas film lovers take the finished film on its merits (or not) without worrying too much how faithful it is to the book. It’s true that some adaptations are pure genius whilst others have been well and truly panned by the critics. But people should make up their own minds.
WHAT event at the festival are you most looking forward to?
We’ve got a great programme and we’re lucky to have some amazing speakers coming to explain the relationship between book and film. From Page To Screen is going to be great for Bridport; there’s something for all ages. I hope everyone will check out the programme and find something that appeals to them. I am most looking forward to Where the Wild Things Are. I can’t wait to dress up! I’m also really looking forward to seeing the Queen of Spades.
ARE there any books you would like to see adapted to the big screen?
Alice in Wonderland - again. I really love Tim Burton, he’s one of my heroes but this one didn’t live up to my hopes. Sorry.
WOULD you rather curl up with a book or stick on a DVD?
DVD. I watch a film every night.
WHAT did you gain from your experience on Castaway?
I learnt to cope with small politics and how to accept people for what they are. On the island, if you fell out with someone, you still had to have breakfast with them the next morning, so you learnt to make up. I made long term friendships there, including Ben Fogle; those friends are like family to me now.
WHAT was your fondest memory of life on the island?
I loved the long summer evenings and having parties outside. Also, my pet sheep, Scraggy. He was the reason I thought I could move to the countryside.
WAS this your closest brush with fame?
Well, no I’ve still got some famous friends in their professional fields. We’ve also got some big names at the festival including Lynn Barber and screenwriters Julian Kemp and Alan Cubitt. Also, Harriet Walter, Fiona Shaw who are very famous actresses are on the advisory panel.
DO you have any ambitions you’d still like to pursue?
I’d like to set up my own children’s clothing label. The company will be called Ginger Whiskers, in memory of my grandfather and will specialise in ready-to-wear clothes for kids.
WHO would be your three dream guests at a dinner party and why?
I’d have Tim Burton so I could pick his brain; Vivienne Westwood for her designs and Ray Mears who is my hero as I love camping and travelling to remote places.
WHAT was the last film you watched, CD you listened to and book you read?
The last film at the cinema was Alice in Wonderland; last CD was an obscure French band The Lovers and I’m currently reading Forgotten Fruits by Christopher Stocks, which is a great read all about the history of fruit and vegetables, including how the Spanish Inquisition is responsible for all our carrots being orange rather than red and white.
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