Forest Row Film Society

We were delighted to see such a big crowd at last week’s film. About a hundred people turned up to see the astonishing Danish drama After the Wedding. We knew it was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, but everyone we spoke to afterwards was extremely positive. One of the emails we got said it was “definitely one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time”.

Our new sound system in the village hall was shown off to good effect too, and over the summer we’ll be adding to it since we’ve just taken delivery of a new subwoofer to improve all the low frequencies. For anyone interested in the gory details, it is a JBL JRX118S. I must admit that it is a little bigger than I was expecting, especially since the marketing material describes it as “compact”. With that and a centre speaker we will have completed the refitting of the system. Thanks again to all our funders and donors this year.

The British Federation of Film Societies have just posted a short film about the national conference and Film Society of the Year awards last year in Sheffield, which we wrote about in October. It gives a good flavour of the weekend, and shows the importance of the film society community in the UK.

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.

If anyone is interested in attending this conference, please let us know. It is organised by the British Federation of Film Societies and includes film screenings and the Film Society of the Year awards. Some members of the Forest Row Film Society will be attending; we have entered for the Best Website and Best Programming awards this year.

The conference will take place on the weekend of Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September at the Showroom Cinema and the Cutlers’ Hall, Sheffield. It is the only national event exclusively dedicated to the needs of Film Societies and Community Cinemas.

This is a summary of the events over the weekend:

• Facilitated Networking
• Training and Information Sessions
• Q&As with Expert Speakers
• Introduced Film Screenings
• Director Q&As
• Seminars and workshops
• BFFS AGM

And there is a special programme of evening events on Saturday 27 September:

• Welcome Reception
• Film Society of the Year Awards Ceremony
• Special Guest Presenter
• Annual Dinner

The following information about the event is available:

• Provisional list of film screenings
• List of seminars and other events
• Details of the awards and the dinner
• General information
• Booking Form