Oscar-winning filmmaker Lord David Puttnam to give a talk at Sunderland's Fire Station

The Oscar-winning producer will revisit his legendary career in film, Westminster and education in an exclusive evening of conversation.

Organised by Atticus Education, The University of Sunderland, North East Screen and Pinewood Group, the evening is a chance for people to gain an insight into the work of one of the legends of British cinema.

The multi-award-winning film producer will reveal the stories behind some of his greatest movies including Chariots of Fire, The Mission, The Killing Fields, Midnight Express and Local Hero at The Fire Station in Sunderland on Tuesday 11th October.

Using excerpts from these films, for which he has received numerous Academy Awards, BAFTA’s and the Palme D'Or in Cannes, he describes how his career took him from 30 years in the Hollywood-dominated film industry to 24 years in Westminster, where he shaped policy in the areas of Media Ownership, Climate Change, Education, Disinformation and Online Safety.

The event will take place in The Fire Station Auditorium, Sunderland’s brand new and state of the art performance venue set in the heart of the city’s cultural quarter. Tickets will cost £5 with all proceeds going to UNICEF’s Ukraine Children’s Appeal.

Speaking about the event, David Puttnam said: “I’m very much looking forward to being back in Sunderland, not only to meet the University’s talented new Puttnam Scholars in-person, but also to spend an evening revisiting these feature films and some of the tales and anecdotes from the past 50 years.

"Whilst I hope the evening will be enjoyable for the audience, I am overjoyed that we are also able to together support UNICEF and its critical appeal for the children of Ukraine.”

The Fire Station Auditorium programmes up to 300 events a year in music, theatre, comedy and dance. It can host up to 550 people seated or up to 800 people standing and is operated by Sunderland Culture on behalf of Sunderland Music, Arts and Culture (MAC) Trust.

The new, state-of-the-art auditorium will be complemented by an outdoor stage, called The Parade Ground, which is being built at the rear of the site.

Tickets are now available via The Fire Station website: www.thefirestation.org.uk. The event will begin at 7.30pm.