30 YEARS OF CHELMSFORD FILM CLUB

Possibly the City’s best kept secret, Chelmsford Film Club is about to embark upon its 30th season, starting at the end of September and running through to June 2018.  In all that time the Club has been fortunate to screen its films in the Cramphorn Studio, next to the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford, enjoying the very best of projection, audio and front of house facilities.

All those years ago the late and much missed Jill Dimmock contacted the officers of Basildon Film Society, which had unfortunately had to close down, with the proposition that a new film society in Chelmsford be formed which would seek to recruit mostly students at the Anglia University Polytechnic, later to morph into Anglia Ruskin University.  After a couple of preliminary discussions, Chelmsford Film Club was born.  But not one student joined!  Instead over a hundred local residents came forward who clearly were desperate for a diet of the very best in contemporary world cinema, something which had been available in London but was sadly lacking locally.  Within a couple of years membership had risen to over 200, with members throughout Essex!

In fact the success of the Club was so marked that within a few years the Cramphorn itself was putting on its own programme of one-off movies, of more or less the same type as CFC, and to this day the two organisations, Chelmsford Film Club and The Picturehouse, using the same venue, complement each other.

The Club now shows sixteen movies in the season, for which members pay £60: a real entertainment bargain!  Guests are very welcome and pay £6 to watch a film, less than half the ticket price in any of the London cinemas.  Each season of films is a combination of members’ recommendations and those chosen by the membership committee.  The aims of the Club have remained the same: to screen the best of up-to-the minute world cinema, with some classic ‘golden oldies’ thrown into the mix.  For instance, for the 2017/18 season we hope to show Martin Scorcese’s ‘Goodfellas’ and Victor Erice’s superb 1983 classic ‘El Sur’ (‘The South”), both in refurbished and reissued formats.

Amongst recently released movies being shown are the incredibly funny and moving Swedish film ‘A Man Called Ove’, Jim Jarmusch’s latest work ‘Paterson’ and the superb documentary ‘Letters from Baghdad’, which chronicles the life and times of the intrepid explorer, diplomat and Middle Eastern scholar Gertrude Bell.  The season kicks-off on Monday 25th September with the acclaimed French film ‘Elle’ for which lead actress Isabelle Huppert won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar as Best Actress.

Sounds attractive and just a bit different?  To enquire about membership do please text Malcolm Reid on 07960-488-708 or go to our membership page for further information.

But keep it quiet – it’s Chelmsford’s secret!

by Peter Bunyan – this article has been published in Chelmsford City newspapers.

Our Next Presentation: Elle

THE CRAMPHORN THEATRE, CHELMSFORD – Monday 25th September @ 8PM

Isabelle Huppert is astonishing as an assertive head of a video game company, a rape victim who tracks down her attacker: perhaps the only actress who could carry off the part? One of the bravest, most honest and inspiring examinations of the subject, critics have claimed, though acknowledging possibly invoking the ire of feminists and others. ‘Utterly gripping and endlessly disturbing’ was another verdict on this provocative psychodrama.  (Read more…)

Our last presentation ‘The Assassin’

There were 17 response slips returned after the showing of the final film of last season, the breakdown from these slips were as follows:

• ‘Excellent’: 6 votes
• ‘Very Good’: 4 votes
• ‘Good’: 2 votes
• ‘Satisfactory’: 3 votes
• ‘Poor’: 2 votes

Feedback comments for “The Assassin”.

If you want to add further comments on this film, you are welcome to do so by joining in on our “The Assassin” discussion forum.

Membership for our 2017/18 season will remain at £60.  This allows you to attend all 16 films at the Cramphorn Theatre, at no extra cost.  You can also invite guests for £6 per screening.

See the Membership page for details of how to join.

Your opinion counts

As well as filling in the Response Slips following the showing of each film, you can leave comments for any of the films we have shown via the Discussion page.

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See what Chelmsford Film Club is showing this season on the 2017/18 season page,