NEARLY 1,000 people flocked to this year’s Oxford Mail Film Festival, hosted by the Phoenix Picturehouse in Walton Street, Oxford.

The theme of this year’s event – the fourth since the festival began in 2007 – was the work of legendary director Stanley Kubrick.

Over the six-day gala, film fans were treated to special screenings of The Shining, Dr Strangelove, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Paths of Glory, A Clockwork Orange and Lolita.

The highlight of the festival was Tuesday’s showing of 2001 in a brand new digital print.

Phoenix manager Suzy Sheriff said: “It was astonishing.

“Considering this iconic film was first released in 1968, it’s screening last week was simply electric.

She added: “It was like watching cut-glass in motion, so crystal clear was the picture and sharp the sound. Everyone was ecstatic.”

Sunday’s screening of The Shining was also a sell-out.

Oxford Mail entertainments editor Jeremy Smith said: “You’d have thought everybody had already seen this classic horror film. In truth they probably had – so it was all the more fantastic to sit in a packed cinema, with an eager audience, and listen to the collective ‘hush’ when the film started.

He added: “There’s no doubt this has been the most successful festival so far, and there’s no question we’ll be staging our fifth festival next year. If anyone has any ideas what the theme should be, I’d love to hear from them.”

Previous festivals have showcased the films of Steven Spielberg and the Coen brothers, while for the first festival, Oxford Mail readers picked the films they most wanted to see on the big screen.

Richard Broadhead, of Oxford’s Movie Fans Meetup group, added: “This was a fantastic opportunity to see Kubrick's films as they were meant to be viewed – on the cinema screen.

“We thoroughly enjoyed the event and greatly appreciated the chance to appreciate the works of one of cinema’s great auteurs to their fullest extent.”