Academy award winning director Sam Mendes is to launch one of the country’s biggest coastal film festivals next month.

The Purbeck Film Festival will open with a special screening of his award-winning film, 1917, followed by a question and answer session with the audience.

Mark Cosgrove of the British Film Institute will join the director for the event, in Swanage, Dorset on October 18.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be able to lend my support to the brilliant Purbeck Film Festival this year,” said Mendes.

“Film festivals like this are increasingly important for fostering a sense of community, and for keeping the cinema-going experience alive.”

Andrea Etherington, who chairs the festival, said: “Having a filmmaker of Sam Mendes’ calibre attend our festival is a tremendous honour.

“His participation not only elevates our festival but also provides a unique opportunity for our audience to gain a deeper understanding of his work and the film industry world.

“We have more special guests from the industry than ever before, which reflects the growing reputation of our festival throughout the film industry as one of the best in the country – a reputation hard won over the years by the tireless efforts of our team of volunteers.”

This year’s festival, now in its 29th year,  promises a diverse, record-breaking line-up of over 100 film screenings from 21 countries over two weeks, ending with a  “Stunt Saturday” on November 2, featuring five epic stunt films and four VIP stunt guests.

Films will be shown at over 30 locations, ranging from cinemas in Swanage and Wareham to village and church halls, a hotel, golf club and a tennis and croquet club.