WITH unique interactive movie experiences and classic films, a new film festival is to take place in Hampshire later this year.

Organisers are hoping the inaugural Eastleigh Film Festival, which runs from September 22 to 27, will put the excitement back into going to the movies.

BBC Film 2014 critic Danny Leigh has helped shape the event, which will open with an innovative, audience-picked gala at the Vue Cinema in Eastleigh.

Events include a screening of George A Romero’s horror classic Dawn of the Dead at the Swan Shopping Centre – showing the film out-of-hours for the full zombie shopping mall experience – and the Coen Brothers’ cult favourite The Big Lebowski in AMF Bowling; Eastleigh’s Hollywood Lanes’ equivalent.

Audiences can help shape the festival themselves, too, by picking their favourite movie from Danny Leigh’s selection of cinema’s bestloved genre movies that includes among others The Fly, The Shining and The Long Good Friday. It will go to a public vote, with the winning top three screened at the Vue as part of the opening gala.

Aspiring new film-makers will get the chance to meet the experts at a specialist Industry Day that will feature workshops, talks and Q&As.

Organiser Crispian Cook said: “Eastleigh Film Festival encourages audiences to experience film differently, offering exciting site-specific film screenings around the town in all sorts of unlikely locations.”

For a full programme, visit eastleighfilmfestival.com