THE Oxford Mail’s ninth film festival opened in style this week with a special screening of Some Like It Hot starring Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.

It just one of the six films the Mail is sponsoring to celebrate Hollywood writer and director Billy Wilder.

This year’s screenings are being shared between the Phoenix Picturehouse, in Walton Street, and the Ultimate Picture Palace (UPP), in Jeune Street.

Phoenix general manager Martin Langley said: “This festival is a great opportunity to see classic films on the big screen.

“What I particularly love is that you can see how excited some of our customers are when they first come in.

“Many know what they’re going to see but they can’t believe they’re going to see it on the big screen again.”

Becky Hallsmith, owner of the Ultimate Picture Palace, said: “We’ve had a great turnout and we were especially excited about screening Double Idemnity last night.”

Jeremy Smith, group features editor for the Oxford Mail and co-organiser of the festival, said: “Thanks to both the Phoenix and UPP, we’ve had the great privilege to show classic films that ordinarily would not get a commercial presentation on the big screen.”

Tickets are still available for tonight’s screening of The Fortune Cookie at the Phoenix, at 6.15pm, and tomorrow’s closing presentation of Stalag 17 at the UPP, at 6.30pm.

There is a two-for-one offer for readers who turn up with a copy of the relevant day’s Oxford Mail.

For further information, call the Phoenix on 01865 316570 or the UPP on 01865 245288.