A new page has been added to the Forest Row Film Society site giving information and links about sourcing films that we could screen. Containing current listings from the BFI and the BFFS, and with links to Filmbank and information about the ICO screening days and other distributors, it is a useful first port of call not only for the committee, but also for any members who want to see which films are available for film society screening.
The lists are certainly not comprehensive, and there are definitely other sources not listed yet, but the intention is to create a useful resource for sourcing films. If you have any suggestions for additions, please let us know.
Last night’s Forest Row Film Society screening of Son of Man drew a packed house of over 120 people. Introduced by Flora Smith who, with Mark Dornford-May, worked heavily on the original theatre production on which the film was based, the audience were treated to the remarkable story of the project and the creation of the film.
Flora Smith introduces Son of Man
Cast entirely using non-professional actors and singers from a South African township, the original theatre company created powerful and at times controversial Xhosa versions of Carmen and the Chester mystery plays. These were performed not only in South Africa, but also in London and on a subsequent world tour to great acclaim.
The Carmen production was filmed first (released as U-Carmen eKhayelitsha) and the mystery plays rewritten and released as Son of Man in 2006 utilising some of the words of Steve Biko in Jesus’ sermons and speeches.
The audience responded very positively to the film, talking afterwards of the current resonances with events in Congo, and also in the context of the US election results. We look forward to screening U-Carmen eKhayelitsha next year.
The next screening of Forest Row Film Society will be this Friday, 7th November at 8pm when we will show the fantastic South African film Son of Man (certificate 12A). This is our second screening with the new digital equipment; doors open and 7.30 and we have a licensed bar for the evening alongside our usual tea and cakes. We had a packed house for our last film so would recommend arriving early.
We are delighted that the film will be introduced by Flora Smith, who, together with director Mark Dornford-May, produced the original theatre version. Son of Man will be screened in Forest Row Village Hall; admissions are £5/£4 (concessions). Further details about the film and a trailer are available on the official film site: http://www.sonofmanmovie.com/.
Newly-released DVDs will also be available on the evening. These are priced at £19.99, and may also be purchased from Spier Films.
Well over a hundred people packed into Forest Row village hall for the inaugural screening using Forest Row Film Society’s new digital equipment. With a new twelve foot screen, sound system and projector, it was clear that Forest Row now has its own cinema.
The audience, made up of all ages and from all parts of the village, enjoyed the new Lebanese film Caramel, weaving the stories of five women and the Beirut beauty parlour they frequent or work in.
From Forest Row Film Society, Brad Scott thanked all the sponsors and donors for their support in enabling this new venture: Heart of the Community awards; Gatwick Airport Community Trust; Wealden District Council Community Fund; Screen South; and Awards for All. Brad also announced that Sonia Ashe was to be made an honorary life member of the society; Sonia joined the society soon after its beginning in 1978 and served as secretary only until recently, and this recognises the immense effort she contributed to the organisation throughout its history.
Forest Row Film Society has received an award at the national Film Society of the Year Awards ceremony at the magnificent Cutlers’ Hall in the heart of Sheffield. Organised by The British Federation of Film Societies (BFFS) as part of last weekend’s National Conference for Film Societies and Community Cinemas, this is a significant recognition of the society’s activities in the provision of community cinema in Forest Row.
Receiving the prize in the best website category on behalf of Forest Row Film Society, Brad Scott commented “About six years ago the society was on the verge of closing; since then we have managed to increase our audience considerably, and extended the range of our programming. We have also raised £13,000 for new digital equipment, which will mean we can reach out to other parts of the community as well. This award provides great support for our activities.”
The village festival is already happening, and we are screening Uncle Vanya tonight.
You can read a programme of all the events here [pdf]. Please come along and bring all your friends.
Part of the Forest Row Festival, this small online film festival will give you something else to do when you’re not going to one of the other events. However, the whole point of the Forest Row Festival is to get everyone out in the village, and not to be stuck home watching stuff on your computer.
We also want this to encourage you to bring along your camcorder and film a bit of the festival yourself; we can then include more films here next year about the festival or Forest Row more generally. We may even screen them in the village hall.
The festival in film
Last year several short films were produced of aspects of the festival. They give a good flavour of the event, and suggest what you might expect this year.
Forest Row Cycle Saturday
Barry Durdant-Hollamby’s film focuses on the annual bike ride, which has been organised by Suzanne Hillen for the last eight years. The prizes last year were awarded by our MP Charles Hendry. This year it will be Rodabe Rudin, the Forest Row parish clerk, who will be awarding them.
Up on the Roof
Simon Wells and the Jam Band were filmed on the roof of the Swan by Geoff Weate performing lots of Beatles numbers and much else. This is part one of a series.
Byrd in the Phone Box
When William Byrd wrote his mass in 1595 the Catholic Latin mass was illegal in England. Masses were performed in secret, often in basements or other private spaces. The itinerant version that took place in Forest Row on 7 October 2007 started off in a basement and ended up in the Swan. Photo and film by Mike Grenville.
International short films
Delivery
An old man receives a package which has remarkable power.
Made by German film-maker Till Nowak, it was short listed for the European Film Awards in 2006. Read more and see an interview with the director.
Mary’s Date
Directed by Jan Dunn, whose amazing feature Ruby Blue we saw at the recent BFFS awards, this is a delightful short comedy featuring Pauline McLynn (Mrs Doyle from Father Ted).
Kiwi
Made by Dony Permedi as his MA thesis at New York, this short animation is a rather sad, poignant tale of a flightless bird.
As part of this year’s Forest Row Festival, Forest Row Film Society will include an online film festival with its regular screenings.
Combining some short films of previous Forest Row Festivals with award-winning international short films, the online film festival is an exciting new initiative for the film society.
“The main objective of the Forest Row Festival is to get the whole community out into the village, but we also wanted to use the films made of previous festivals to encourage people to come. It was an easy step to add other films and make it even more of an event,” commented Brad Scott, who is involved with both the film society and the festival.
Brad also laid down a challenge: “if people make short films of the festival this year, we will have a ready-made forum for showing them next year, so get your camcorders out and let us see your take on the festival.”
During the festival, a great Russian version of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya will also be screened in the village hall on 3rd October.
Forest Row Film Society is delighted to announce that we have been shortlisted for this year’s Film Society of the Year awards, organised by the British Federation of Film Societies. The awards dinner will be held in Sheffield on Saturday 27th September.
We are delighted to announce the provisional programme for next season. The first two screenings will be using the existing 16mm equipment; all other screenings will be using the new projector.
Some of these films are yet to be confirmed by the distributor, and there may well be additional dates, but the titles below are the ones that have been booked to date. The full programme will be posted on the website in the next two weeks.
19th September: Ginger and Fred (Federico Fellini, Italy, 1986)
3rd October: Uncle Vanya (Andrei Konchalovsky, USSR, 1971)
17th October: Persepolis (Vincent Paronnaud, France, 2007)
7th November: Son of Man (Mark Dornford-May, South Africa, 2005)
14th November: Ashes and Diamonds (Andrzej Wajda, Poland, 1958)
28th November: Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, USSR, 1978)
13th December: Muppets Take Manhattan (Frank Oz, USA, 1984)
9th January: Son of Rambow (Garth Jennings, UK, 2007)
23rd January: Lancelot du Lac (Robert Bresson, France, 1971)
13th February: Under the Bombs (Philippe Aractingi, Lebanon, 2007)
27th February: Caravaggio (Derek Jarman, UK, 1986)
13th March: Blackboards (Samira Makhmalbaf, Iran, 2000)
27th March: TBC
1st May: After the Wedding (Susanne Bier, Denmark, 2006)
15th May: Caramel (Nadine Labaki, Lebanon, 2007)
