Festival 2025

Now in its 26th year, The Graham Greene International Festival invites you to join four days of talks, film screenings and discussion inspired by one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers.This year the festival will be directed by Professor Richard Greene, with programming contributions from across the literary and academic world.

Here is the programme:

Thursday 25 September

Afternoon

Court House, beside St Peter’s Church

2.15 Graham Greene’s Common: A Battlefield Guide (under three miles; includes uphill stretches and WWI trenches) led by Richard Shepherd, with readings from A Sort of Life and The Human Factor. Assemble outside the Court House for introduction. Cars/lifts and stout walking shoes required for the start of the walk at Inns of Court War Memorial, New Road Car Park. If wet, there will be an illustrated talk with readings in the Court House.

Evening

The Town Hall

6.30 Opening Night Supper (Drinks at pay bar from 5.30). Please book online by Monday 15 September at the latest.

The Civic Centre

8.00 Film: Ministry of Fear (Paramount, 1944, 83 minutes), directed by Fritz Lang, starring Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, and Carl Esmond.  Paramount snapped up the film rights to Greene’s novel solely on the strength of its title. Introduced by Mike Hill.

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Friday 26 September

Morning

The Town Hall

9.45 England Made Me – the historian and bibliographer Jon Wise will discuss an accomplished but now neglected early novel by Graham Greene.

10.45 Break for tea and coffee

11.15 Faith and Revolution in Graham Greene’s Mexico (1910-1940) – the historian Ricardo Alvarez-Pimentel (Baylor University) will help us understand the complex world which inspired The Lawless Roads and The Power and the Glory.

Break for lunch

Afternoon

The Town Hall

2.30 Human and Humane Factors: The Graham Greene Approach to Life – the novelist and literary scholar Randy Boyagoda (University of Toronto) will take us into Greene’s late masterpiece about an honourable traitor.

3.30 Break for tea and coffee

4.00 Reading Graham Greene – acclaimed author, comedian, and broadcaster Armando Iannucci tells us why he is a huge Graham Greene fan.

Evening

The Civic Centre

8.00 Film: Brighton Rock  (BBC Films, 2011, 107 minutes), the second cinematic adaptation of one of Greene’s greatest works, this film is set in the 1960s. It is directed by Rowan Joffe, and stars Helen Mirren, Sam Riley, Andrea Riseborough, and John Hurt. Introduced by Mike Hill.

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Saturday 27 September

Morning

Deans’ Hall, Berkhamsted School (Castle Street)

9.45 Who Killed Kolly Kibber: A Deep Dive into the Difficulty of Adapting Brighton Rock – the novelist and film scholar Shirley Day will contrast Greene’s original, the theatrical adaptation, and two distinct film versions to reveal why Brighton Rock continues to fascinate and frustrate those who attempt to bring it to life.

10.45 Break for tea and coffee

11.15 ‘Dear heart’: The Graham Greene-Catherine Walston Correspondence, 1947-1978  — the historian Kevin Ruane (next year’s Festival director!) will discuss his vast project of editing the largest and most revealing collection of Greene’s correspondence.

Break for lunch

Afternoon

Deans’ Hall, Berkhamsted School (Castle Street)

2.30 Graham Greene’s Achill: A Record of Love – the oral historian Angela Maye-Banbury will create a picture of the island where Graham Greene and Catherine Walston spent some of their happiest times.

3.30 Break for tea and coffee

4.00 ‘My Best Entertainment’:  The Ministry of Fear – Creina Mansfield and Mike Hill discuss the extraordinary story of Nazi spies and a mysterious cake, which Greene wrote while stationed in Sierra Leone.

5.15 The Birthday Toast: we raise a glass in honour of his Graham Greene’s birthday.

Evening session

Old Hall, Berkhamsted School (Castle Street)

8.00 Festival Dinner: three courses with wine and coffee: vegan/vegetarian option. Please book online by Monday 15 September at the latest.

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Sunday 28 September

Morning

Old Hall and Careers Centre, Berkhamsted School (Castle Street)

9.00 A Tour of the School Archives, including a look at the Exhibition Room, the green baize door, Old Hall and the School Chapel. (Meet outside Old Hall.)

10.00 If Greene hadn’t made that mistake… – the surgeon and literary scholar Ramón Rami-Porta considers what Greene’s life and career might have been had he never become a Catholic.

11.00 Break for tea and coffee

11.30 Female Aspects of The Third Man – the film scholar Brigitte Timmermann opens up a seldom-discussed issue in relation to the production of one of the world’s greatest films.

Lunch

Old Hall, Berkhamsted School (Castle Street)

1.00 Farewell Lunch: two-course cold buffet, wine and coffee; vegan/vegetarian option. Please book by Monday 15 September at the latest.

 

To book tickets for the Festival and to explore accommodation options use the drop down menu on the left of your screen.

Festival highlights

 

This year, Richard has been able to secure the services of the acclaimed satirist, screenwriter and broadcaster (The Thick of It,  The Death of Stalin, Veep) Armando Iannucci who is coming to Berkhamsted to talk about his love of Graham Greene’s works. We are thrilled at the prospect and much look forward to hearing why Armando is such a GG fan. If you want to hear him speak, he is scheduled for the 4.00pm slot at the Town Hall on the Friday afternoon.

 

 

 

Oral historian Angela Maye-Bradbury will create a picture of Achill Island, off the west coast of Ireland, where Graham Greene and his lover Catherine Walston spent some of their happiest days while Graham was writing one of his most famous novels The Heart of the Matter.

 

Kevin Ruane will be previewing his work of editing the complete correspondence between Greene and Catherine Walston (some argue the love of his life). This is a landmark research project which will offer fresh insights into the author’s private and creative life.