It’s a bumper Dean Wilson month, with Back to Ours co-commissioning two new events from the self-confessed fourth best poet in Hull alongside Freedom Festival Arts Trust.
Renowned for his trademark delivery, gut-punch poems and ever-popular Pebble of the Day tweets, Dean’s been a familiar face on Back to Ours social channels with last year’s online premiere of East Coast Fever – the first film about his life by filmmaker Dave Lee – and the subsequent monthly Dean Wilson Film Club.
Now they’ve teamed up again to bring the Dean Wilson Cinema Shack and DeanWorld Premiere Gala to Freedom Festival, promising more Dean than anyone can handle.
Cinema Shack will open in Trinity Market until Sat 4 Sept, a sit-in experience where passers-by can watch all of Dean and Dave Lee’s classic short films, plus six brand new ones. There’s no ticket required, and people can drop in and out as they like to see Dean perform just for them.
The DeanWorld Premiere Gala is the premiere of Dave Lee’s new film all about Dean’s experiences of lockdowns, exploring how the world has connected with Dean while his world’s remained largely unchanged.
Set within a cabaret evening including music and a performance of all an new-poetry set by Dean himself, it’s set to be an unpredictable, surreal and very funny evening.
Filmmaker Dave Lee says: “After years of attending the Freedom, it’s great to be finally creating something for the festival, and creating something so uniquely Hull.
“I’ve always thought the films that me and Dean make are steeped in the character of this area, so showing them in the heart of the city, in such a cool way, is a real thrill.’
Dean adds: “I can’t believe it. Two projects at once for Freedom Festival! It’s always wonderful to do projects with Back to Ours and to have the films and my poems available to so many people in such creative ways is something I could never have dreamed of. I’m over the moon!”
Back to Ours Director Lou Yates says: “We always love working with Dean. His poetry is so relatable – sometimes very funny, very bittersweet, and always completely human.
“We’ve worked online together over the past year with East Coast Fever and the Dean Wilson Film Club and he’s also performed at one of our Shindigs, so this is the next part of our journey together – more films with Dave Lee, and an evening celebrating what makes Dean so unforgettable and unique.”
The Dean Wilson Cinema Shack is part of Freedom Festival 2021, and free to enter. All details are on the Back To Ours website.
The DeanWorld Premiere Gala takes place on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 August, 8–10pm at Wrecking Ball Music and Books. Tickets are £12 and can be bought from the Freedom Festival website.