The Tees Valley International Film Festival will bring its 2026 programme to a close in Stockton with an evening led by actor Brenda Blethyn, followed by awards for filmmakers and the final of the festival’s monologue competition.
The closing ceremony takes place at ARC Stockton Arts Centre on Saturday 14 November at 7.30pm. Blethyn will be interviewed by actor Fellows about a career that has ranged from the North East-set television drama Vera to major film roles and two Academy Award nominations.
It is not simply a celebrity interview attached to the end of the festival. The night will also put the people who have made work for TVIFF back at the centre of things, with awards presented to winning filmmakers whose work has screened during the festival and the final of the TVIFF Monologue Competition.
The programme then takes another turn. Dunstan Bruce, formerly of Chumbawamba, is due to close the evening with a performance of I Get Knocked Down.
That mix gives the finale a useful local purpose: established creative careers on one side of the stage, emerging filmmakers and performers on the other. ARC’s listing specifically frames Blethyn’s conversation around both the highs and lows of working in the and the challenges faced by people trying to build a career in them.
ARC currently lists tickets from £28 and marks the event as suitable for ages 16 and over. The date, venue and programme are also listed by Visit Tees Valley.
Full details and booking information are available from ARC Stockton Arts Centre. The wider visitor listing can be checked through Visit Tees Valley.