We have had a successful year as a Film Society. The films have scored highly and the membership,
although lower than last year, has clocked up high attendance most months.
The Society
The Film Society is run by volunteers and the Annual Report offers the opportunity to note their
contributions and to thank them. Paul stood down as Secretary of the Film Society in April noting a
conflict of interest as Secretary and Chair of Abbey Fields CC Trustees, but continues to oversee all
aspects of Abbey Fields relating to the Film Society. We are grateful to Paul for his continued support and thank him for all his work with the Society over many years. Keith Millar has agreed to stand as interim Secretary but we are looking for another member to take over the task. Our treasurer, Sue Hilton, is an essential component of the Society, monitoring our expenditures with precision. Many thanks to Sue whose Report is noted separately. Overseeing the viewing of our films is Derek Smith, as projectionist. As members will know there have been technical issues in this area which Paul and Derek have now dealt with; their efforts have been appreciated and more recent viewings without issue.
Our viewing group continues with their allotted task, viewing many more films than we show. The
Society would not exist without these individuals being willing to devote time and thought to their
work, so many thanks are due to the team (Jane Clark, David and Sue Hilton, Peter O’Sullivan, Derek
Smith, Mike Spice, a re-joined member Brenda Cove, and myself). Its notable every month that there is a crowd around the DVD table with a regular exchange of DVDs. Overseeing this activity is Sue Silverthorne who, with great efficiency, keeps track of all borrowings as well as flagging the recently shown films. Brenda Cove helps Sue and is also willing to lend a hand to the catering side, while the reception table is overseen by Sue Hilton with Carrie Wade and Jane Clark helping and at times running the show. Equal thanks to our catering duo, Hannah and Millie Dudek, who have been excellent additions to the team. Not forgotten are the unnamed members of the society who help put the tables and chairs out and back at the end of the evening. This task, while not terribly rewarding, allows us to leave the building in the state we found and so grateful thanks go to them.
The Members
Membership is lower this year, being 69 members compared to 108 last year, with people citing
going away at the weekend, visitors and grandparent duties interrupting their attendance. Notably,
however, a high proportion of members regularly attended our monthly shows whereas in the
previous year, ten never attended and some only occasionally. We would like more members. The
Society incurs on-going costs throughout the year, including paying for the halls, the film licenses, the website, and the monthly honorarium for catering. We depend on the membership fees to allow us to continue as a Society, and so membership remains the most important source of income. Guest attendance, always available, has increased this year, mostly due to our showing of Conclave, while other films have also attracted interest.
Our members demonstrate an openness to watch films from literally all over the world. The
enthusiasm and the helpful feedback make all our contributions to the Society worthwhile. Well
done to those who attended the longer film ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ on an extremely hot June evening;
we will continue showing a long film but outside the (hot) summer months in future.
Our post-film discussions are always enjoyable, an opportunity to unpick the film and its context. We have purchased one very long film, over three hours. The Brutalist is available on Sue Silverthorne’s desk. If that’s a popular move we will continue to buy others too long to show.
There are still many locals who do not know of our existence and although we do some advertising,
we should do more. Free advertising does happen, with local posters, the Winchcombe Parish
magazine, Facebook in Winchcombe, Gretton and Bishops Cleeve. We will discuss how to improve
our ability to spread the word but word of mouth counts for much. Please do carry on passing the
word round, and see also below, re paying for advertising, which in the past, we have seldom done.
The Films
This year we have viewed films from a diverse set of countries, including the USA, Jordan, Japan,
France, Iran, Brazil, and of course, the UK. All scored highly with the exception of Perfect Days (Japan and Germany) which turned out to be a ‘marmite’ film with some loving its slow development but others finding the approach tedious. Omitting Perfect Days from our tally, our films scored an average of 91% this year to date, with two scoring 100%.
The Funding
Sue Hilton as Treasurer has provided a detailed report of the Society’s accounts for 2025. Our annual debit remains close to our income and we still are carrying over a balance of more than £2k from earlier years. We plan to continue with the current membership price of £30 per annum for 2026 and while it is important to hold back a reasonable sum for contingencies, we will look to advertising our Society’s activities next year on sites which are attractive but require payment. There is a small charge for the card reader but it continues to play its role in making payment easier.
I look forward to sending round the new programme of films in 2026 and to meeting up with
everyone on the Fridays to come.
Margaret Reid
Chair, Winchcombe Film Society
Winchcombe Film Society 