Forest Row Film Society

The first ever film festival in Forest Row was a great success on so many levels. Not only did it inspire the best publicity campaign the film society has ever undertaken, and attracted a new audience who have not been to our films before, but the workshops, exhibition and special film events were undoubted triumphs. In addition, there was fantastic weather (so who wanted to be watching films?), and there was a buzz throughout the village with so much happening over the weekend (not just the festival). Thank you to everyone who came along and made it all worthwhile, and a huge thanks to all our sponsors and supporters.

The festival also was the first occasion for us to get audience reaction scores; after each film all members of the audience were encouraged to offer their rating of the film (from Very Poor to Excellent), which then translates to a score for each film. Unsurprisingly, the silent films with live music and the singalong Mamma Mia were the biggest hits, and The Big Lebowski was the film that most divided the audience. The high scores that so many of the films were awarded is testament to how much fun we all had.

Films

As ever, the silents were the biggest treat. Saturday afternoon brought us Keaton’s The General, with wonderful music from Terry Davies, who then returned on Sunday morning with Anna Cooper on violin and viola for a triple bill of shorts: two of Chaplin’s Mutual films The Immigrant and The Rink, and Buster Keaton in Cops in the middle. We could certainly do more of these films!

The other major hit was the singalong Mamma Mia, which is completely different from everything the film society normally does, so it was wonderful to have such a great and enthusiastic audience, including many people who have never been to our films before.

As everyone arrived, there was no escape: caricaturist Helen Pointer caught some of the audience and created some great film-themed drawings:

and lots of the audience came dressed up. Again, not usual behaviour for our regular audience:

For some screenings we were delighted to have special guests too. Shakespeare in Love was introduced by Stephen Warbeck who won the Oscar for the film’s score:

and comedian Phil Kay entertained the audience for Shaun of the Dead with tales of Simon Pegg and a voicemail message from Kate Ashfield:

Workshops

We ran three workshops, which was another undoubted success of the weekend. One was for under 12s as an introduction to stop-motion animation, run by animator and film-maker Joseph Brett:

A second animation workshop was an all-day event for a smaller group run by Canterbury-based Animate and Create, who created a Creature-Comforts-style film:

Finally, Pete Allen ran a film-making workshop over three weekends. The first couple of sessions introduced the participants to the basics of film-making, which was then put to practice in the final all-day session during the festival weekend:

A separate blog post about the workshops will follow soon.

The team

One thing we were all agreed about, and that was that it was a huge amount of work for everyone involved. The team was made up of several members of the film society committee, plus several others:

• Brad Scott
• Steffi Pusch
• Cathie Hubert
• Yolene Crawfurd
• Patrick Crawford
• Terry Davies
• Judith Gleeson
• Rachael Pereira
• Fred Doll
• Valerie Moss

Huge thanks also to Cathie Hubert and Mette Udsholt for advance ticket sales at Ashdown Gallery and for setting up the lovely exhibition of film stills at the gallery, which was curated by Steffi Pusch, and photos kindly supplied by Topfoto in Edenbridge.

Thanks also to all our volunteers, on refreshments and the first aiders, and to John Bradley for taking lots of pictures. Thanks to Forest Row Parish Council, Screen South and the UK Film Council for financial support, and to all our audience for making it such a great weekend. Let us have your feedback too.

And finally, check out more pictures on our flicker stream.

We still have some of our delightful festival T shirts left. Only £8. They make a great gift too. All sizes from XS to XL, men’s and women’s styles too. Email your order to forestrowfilms@yahoo.co.uk

Men’s

Women’s

It’s happening again. Thursday 30 September to Sunday 3 October sees the village full of music, art, film, drama, dance and fun. Festival website will contain full details this weekend, though a brief outline is there now (www.forestrowfestival.com). There’s also a Facebook group, and everyone is encouraged to post your pictures to Flickr.

We’re showing several films: First, the wonderful new documentary about The Doors will be on Friday 1 October as a late nighter (starts at 10pm). It is just made up of archive footage, much of it never available before, and has Johnny Depp doing the narration. Well worth a viewing.

On Saturday 2 October we are screening another Buster Keaton with live music from Terry Davies. This year it will be Seven Chances, which was released in 1925, and even includes a tiny colour sequence. It has quite a slow build, but is very funny and has a hilarious climax.

Please note that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the animation workshop has had to be cancelled. Sorry about that, but we will have another in March.

However, we also have some art films made by Ilka Leukenfeld, which will be on Saturday at 5pm in the village hall. Then we finish on Sunday at 1pm with some great short films made locally.

We look forward to seeing you

A film festival with a musical theme will be taking place in Pembury from 15-18 October, together with the Big Shorts film competition.

The four day event will be held at a selection of venues in Pembury, including the theatre at Kent College, Pembury Primary School and Hospice in the Weald.

The programme has not been completely finalised yet, though will include about ten films, concerts and talks. The films all have a musical angle, and range from popular classics to some marvellous and compelling world cinema. Check out the website or contact the organisers for fuller details nearer the time.

The short film competition, Big Shorts, is open to any film-makers over 18 living in Kent, Surrey or Sussex, and is offering a £1500 prize. Films must be under 16 minutes, and the submission deadline is 15 September. Competition guidelines and an entry form are available from the website.

Also taking place is the Snapshoot Film Challenge for young teams of novice film-makers to make a film during the course of the festival. Further details are on the festival website.

Further details are available from the Festival Director Keir Hoffmann at hoffmank@kentcollege.kent.sch.uk.

We want your input for a comedy film festival that we are planning.

Scheduled for 17-20 March 2011, Forest Row Film Society are in the early stages of putting together a film festival. Keen to counter the (partially untrue) idea that all we show are “serious” films, we are looking at creating an event that will be fun and will make us smile and laugh.

We’re looking for ideas for possible films. They can be from any part of the world, and from any part of cinema history, so can include anything from Buster Keaton to Micmacs and much else besides. We can’t guarantee to be able to source all the films you suggest since obtaining screening licences can be very difficult, but we will certainly consider everything.

Let us know if you want to know more, or fancy getting involved in some way. You can also keep in touch by becoming a fan on our Facebook page, or we can add you to our email list.

So, add your suggestions below, ideally with a note explaining why the film is so good, and why it might be able to attract 150 people to the village hall…

Thank you

The Annual General Meeting of Forest Row Film Society took place on Tuesday 16 March 2010 at the Brambletye Hotel.

Present: Robert Evans, Marie-Claire Thomson, Yolene Crawfurd, Brad Scott, Patrick Crawford, Sundari Heller, Tony Lewin, Tim Leeney, Suzanne Hillen, Cathie Hubert, David Catchpole, Valerie Moss, Sonia Ashe, Rachael Pereira, Judith Gleeson, Fred Doll, Steffi Pusch, Sanna Heald

Summary of 2008-9 season

Our last season was the most successful ever:

• £12,000 grant funding and new digital equipment
• Biggest and most varied season of films in our history (29 films, including 4 with TFR, 2 children’s films and 1 at Michael Hall)
• Average audience has doubled in the last ten years
• New community engagement initiatives and strong local profile
• Central part of the Forest Row Festival
• New blog, Facebook, Twitter and text messaging services

The expansion of the number of screenings is particularly significant: five years ago we were doing nine films a year; this current season (2009-10) there are 34 film events, including 7 with Transition Forest Row and the animation workshop, plus an external screening at West Hoathly church.

The latter event reminds us too that the new equipment includes a portable screen and speakers, which can enable us to screen elsewhere. We have also done a screening at Michael Hall. However, though we are keen to do other screenings in the community, it requires a fair amount of work to do them at other venues and we need to ensure we have an appropriate charging structure.

The work over the last few years has also resulted in our being recognised as Film Society of the Year 2009.

Accounts

Our accounts for 2008-9 are available on the website. Our season runs from September to May, and accounts are from 1 June.

Excluding grants, our income last year was almost exactly £6000, with expenditure being just over £4500. The chart below shows our year-end balance over the last six years, excluding grants.

Income for the current season will be roughly similar, though our expenditure has been higher this year: there have been some one-off expenses arising from the new equipment (cabling, electrical work, new cupboard), not all of which has been completed, and our programmes cost much more with the switch to full colour. Realistically, we will probably only break even this year.

Film sources

Brad outlined the issues with sourcing films. In principle, there are loads of films that we could screen, but tracking the rights holder to obtain the necessary licence can be very time-consuming. It is essential that we have the licence: for a recent film, the US rights holder called the village hall from LA to check that we were presenting a legitimate screening.

In practice, most of our films are hired from:

• British Film Institute
• British Federation of Film Societies
• Filmbank

We also hire films direct from production companies (eg Dogwoof), especially those that preview their films at the ICO screening weekends. The MPLC also has a non-theatrical licence arrangement. See Films Available on the website. We can still show 16mm films too, though these are really only available from the BFI, but can sometimes include gems that are not available in any other format. A list of films that have been suggested to date by members and the committee was also circulated.

The future

With our major expansion, we are delighted at the huge support we have for our screenings and the number of ideas and suggestions that we receive, whether on the night, via email, through the website or Facebook. However, to build on the current activities we will need further help and support to deliver film events in the village.

A list of tasks was circulated: this detailed most of the things that need to be done to maintain the Film Society’s activities. These ranged from things that need to be done for each film on the night, to the more periodic and annual tasks. The list also indicated whether we are undertaking them at the moment, and the amount of effort involved. Many of those present volunteered to take on one or more tasks in the future, or to review the list and get back in touch. The list will also be circulated to everyone on the email list and via Facebook.

A number of other events and activities were discussed:

Film for One Village 2010

We have been heavily involved in the annual Forest Row Festival since its inception. This year there is an additional village festival, taking place in June. It has been proposed that we screen a film on Friday 19 June as part of the festival. This coincides with the screening of an England World Cup match in the marquee that will be on the sports ground, so any film we choose will need to take that into account. If anyone has any suggestions for films that we could screen, please let us know as soon as possible.

Saturday screenings

Saturday evening screenings were an innovation this year. They have not been as well attended as the regular Friday slots, though they do attract people who can’t otherwise make it on Fridays. If we are to continue with them we will need to extend the number of people who can run the events since the existing committee would prefer to put their efforts elsewhere.

Film festival

Running a small-scale film festival was the idea that attracted the most attention, with several of those present very keen to be involved in the practical organisation. The proposal is to have the event over a long weekend in February 2011; if anyone knows of any other events that are happening in that month, please let us know. We will need to investigate possible funding sources. Possible events that could be included are:

• Screenings from local film-makers
• Films that have not been released in the UK, possibly introduced by film-makers or film journalists
• Screenings or other events involving some of the film industry professionals who live in the area
• Hands-on events (eg film-making workshops etc)
• Silent films
• Cultural activities around the films, including food/drink and talks

A festival team will get together soon to brainstorm and put together a proposal. If anyone is interested in being involved, please let us know.

Films for children and young people

There is some keenness to develop more programmes for children and young people. Hitherto, our screenings have only had partial success since we need to develop a different promotional strategy for these films. Given the proposal to deliver a festival next season, which would most likely include one or more events targetted at young people, we decided that we would continue with the existing level of programming and work on promoting them better before embarking on a fully-fledged programme aimed at young people.

AOB

• Judith Gleeson suggested that, as we expand, it may be prudent to become a Company Limited by Guarantee
• Tony Lewin suggested a drive-in. This is certainly possible, though the logistics are rather more complicated
• In the absence of more formal post-film discussions, Brad noted that many people end up in the Swan afterwards

One of the most exciting parts of the Forest Row Festival was having animators Joseph Brett, Glen Zimmatore and Leila Watts host a workshop in the Animation Station.

The film was shown on the big screen on Sunday afternoon (4 October), and we will also be showing it before Kirikou and the Sorceress, at 2.30 on Sunday 11 October.

Or you can watch it here.

Audiences in Forest Row were treated to a wide range of films at the annual Festival over the last few days, from the sublimely beautiful Encounters at the End of the World on Friday to the lunacy of Bugs Bunny at the end of the weekend. Now in its fifth year, the Festival has grown considerably and this year’s was the biggest Forest Row Festival ever, with a large music marquee on Forester’s Green, and dozens of stalls and events happening around the village.

We had lovely weather for it too, which meant that hundreds of people were milling around the centre of the village all weekend. Whereas in the past it was just about possible to go to every event, this year there were often several running concurrently, but all had good and enthusiastic audiences, and the film events were packed out.

One of the highlights of past festivals has been the silent film screening, and this year was no different. The village hall quickly filled up at Saturday lunchtime to see Buster Keaton’s masterpiece Sherlock Jr, brilliantly accompanied by Terry Davies. The children were still talking about it the next day.

Over on Forester’s Green, animators Joseph Brett, Glen Zimmatore and Leila Watts hosted a workshop in the Animation Station, encouraging children to make plasticine figures and then spend 20 minutes animating them (see their channel on YouTube).

Places were soon booked up, and we were delighted to be able to screen the result on the big screen in the hall on Sunday afternoon, in what was certainly Forest Row Film Society’s first world premiere! It was especially striking how inventive the ideas were, and also how funny the film was; it must have been a great experience for the children to hear a room full of people responding so well to their work. The film is now on YouTube, and we will have a second screening of it next Sunday (11th) before Kirikou and the Sorceress at 2.30.

The animation was programmed with a collection of films about Sussex from Screen Archive South East. Running for nearly two hours, the audience enjoyed a wide range of the archive’s films, several of which were again accompanied by Terry Davies, such as Watery Trail, a documentary made in 1938 tracing the course of the river Medway from where it rises near Turner’s Hill, through Forest Row, and to the sea at Sheerness.

A particular treasure was the film Scene on the West Pier (1897) by James Williamson, which testified to the importance of Brighton as a major centre of early film-making in the UK. This particular shot has an almost Renoir-like quality to it:

For variety, we included a short Pathé newsreel, Mac Pays Tribute to Kennedy. Forest Row is located close to what was the home of prime minister Harold Macmillan. President Kennedy stayed with Macmillan there in 1963, and visited Forest Row catholic church while he was there. After Kennedy’s assassination, Macmillan came to the village to unveil a plaque on the village hall commemorating the visit. The newsreel clearly showed ranks of press photographers outside the very hall we were watching in, and there was at least one person in the hall who had been there that day. There is a little more about the visit, together with some (poor) stills from the film on the village hall site.

Thanks very much to Screen Archive South East and Pathé for making the archive films available to us.

The festival in Forest Row will again take place at the beginning of October. Most of the activity will be at the weekend (3rd-4th), with the ninth annual bike ride on the Saturday. There will be a lull in the proceedings in the afternoon when we will show Buster Keaton’s marvellous Sherlock Jr. It’s the story of a film projectionist who imagines himself to be a great detective, with lots of great visual gags, as you’d expect.

Our screenings of silent films with live music have always been a big hit in the past and we have always had a full house. Make sure it’s in your diary.

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.