2024 has been a successful year for the Film Society, with strong attendance and positive viewing responses throughout the year. As autumn is now on us it is time to take stock of the Society’ s annual progress.
The Society
The film society would not be able to function without a considerable contribution from a number of individuals. The Annual Report provides me with the opportunity to thank them all for their on-going help which takes a variety of forms. Paul Clark, Secretary of the Film Society and chair of AFCC Trustees, oversees the rooms, hire and the technical equipment and ensures smooth running of it all. Sue Hilton offers us calm guidance as Treasurer and keeps us right with expenses and income of the Society. Derek Smith operates the occasionally temperamental projection system and we remain grateful to him for overseeing this crucial facility.
Sue Silverthorne oversees the DVD desk (always a site of considerable activity) as well as tracking down those long-term borrowings. Sue’s plan to display the last 6 films on the desk front has really taken off, with some films now with their own waiting list. Thanks also to Brenda Cove who assists Sue but also helps out with the catering when needed. Carrie Wade and Jane Clark staff the entry table on many occasions and are willing to take on other tasks; their support is always appreciated. Katie Orlianska organizes the catering and we are hugely grateful to her for running this part of the Society’s social activities with good humour and efficiency.
The Viewing Group are central to the success of films that we show. We currently have ten members (Jane and Paul Clark, Colin Davison, David and Sue Hilton, Monica Janssens, Peter O’Sullivan, Derek Smith, Mike Spice and myself) all of whom take time to view and pass on a continuing series of films, hopefully most enjoyable although not all make the final selection. It is a credit to the Viewing Group that we end up with our successful annual selection and it is important to offer our gratitude to the group. Colin Davison is stepping down from the group as of now; special thanks to Colin for his considerable contribution to the running of the Society and we look forward to seeing him more often at the film showings.
The Members
Equal thanks must go to the members, who show great loyalty to the Society and who turn up with regularity to our Friday showings. Membership numbers are about the same as last year, with 108 members as opposed to 103 last year. Over the year we have welcomed 27 visitors attending on an ad hoc basis.
The Viewing Group select a range of films from a variety of genres, and clearly not all will appeal to all. I am struck with how engaged our members are, giving us useful feedback about a particular film, actively appreciating those they enjoyed and tolerating the (very) occasional technical hitch. The informal discussion sessions have been an enjoyable addition after the film, members joining in with enthusiasm, although there is always room for more discussants. The post-film discussions allow us to hear others perspectives on a film as well as extending our understanding of the film under consideration.
We advertise as widely as we can, locally, but without cost. Our members play a valuable part in telling others about the Society and word of mouth counts for much. Please do carry on passing the word round.
The Films
Over the years we have tried to discover the film themes that members like and those they enjoy less. It has proved impossible, and so we simply attempt to show a range, dependent on what good films are available on DVD. We like to choose films that have a strong story, and often those that allow us a glimpse into other cultures. This year we had a peek into the lives of those in Bhutan, South Korea, Morocco, Poland, France and Denmark, to name but a few. Having said that, Barbie and The Outfit (US and UK) were amongst the strong contenders for high scores this year.
Films are now getting longer, and we have to select out those that are too long for one sitting, for example, several good films on general release are now three hours long or more. As an experiment, we showed one film this summer which was 2.5 hours long (Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans) with a short break half way through; informal feedback was that this was as long as was comfortable (sitting!) and the film length was acceptable as its second half was very engaging (when concentration may be flagging). We plan to continue to explore those slightly longer films and show one a year, if topic and film are both appropriate.
The selection for January to June 2025 has now been made and we are pleased with those we have chosen. We also have a list of potentially interesting films not yet available on DVD and so we enter 2025 with the thought that we will have a strong set of films to show over the year.
The funding
Sue Hilton as Treasurer has provided a detailed report of the Society’s accounts for 2024 and it is clear that we have managed the year without drawing much from the balance carried over from 2023. Abbey Fields has reported that they have lost some funding this year (one regular room hire being withdrawn) and the hall charge will be raised next year. Despite this, we plan to continue with the current membership price of £30 per annum for 2025. The addition of a card reader has been useful for those occasions when no cash is to hand and has facilitated the times when new members wish to join on the day.
I look forward to the new programme of films in 2025 and to meeting up with everyone on the Fridays to come.
Margaret Reid
Chair, Winchcombe Film Society
Winchcombe Film Society 