Author Archives: Bob Foale

Living (Monday 3rd April)

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Our Next Presentation: Living

THE CRAMPHORN THEATRE, CHELMSFORD – Monday 3rd April @ 8PM (Doors open 7:00)

A warm welcome back to the Chelmsford Film Club!!

Our first screening, “Living” stars Bill Nighy as Rodney Williams, a civil servant diagnosed with terminal cancer who, through a chance meeting with a woman in a cafe, finds hope and a new purpose to his life.

With a screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro, via Kurosawa’s ‘Ikiru’ and Leo Tolstoy’s ‘The Death of Ivan Illych’, the film is set in the London of 1953.

Our Previous Presentation ‘FOXTROT’

2023 Season

We will be showing 5 films between 3rd April and 9th May. As yet, only the first film, Living, has been confirmed – we will be updating the Season page with the remaining films, as these are known.

For members of the incompleted 2019-20 season, your membership is still valid (and don’t worry if you’ve lost/mislaid your membership card; as long as your name is on our Membership List you’ll be allowed in!) New membership for the 2023 season (5 films) is available for £22 – please see our membership secretary, Malcolm, at the door. As always, guests are welcome, tickets will be £7.50

CFC on Twitter and Facebook

Unfortunately, we appear to have lost our Twitter account (having not posted anything since the last COVID-19 update in August 2020). Our facebok page (https://www.facebook.com/ChelmsfordFilmC), thankfully, is still active. To receive regular, automatic notification of our films, please follow us there.

Newsletter 11 March 2023

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I am sure you will have been hoping by now to have received more news of the short programme of five films I wrote to you about a few weeks ago.  It has been an extremely challenging task for our Booking Secretary to secure the screening licences from the distributors and he is still working on it.  Incidentally, I learn that this is now a common problem with film clubs like ours throughout the country.  So I thought it would be encouraging for you to know where we are so far.

We will start the first screening on Monday 3 April with LIVING  (2022), directed by Oliver Hermanus and starringBill Nighy.  With a screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro, via Kurosawa’s ‘Ikiru’ and Leo Tolstoy’s ‘The Death of Ivan Illych’, it is set in the London of 1953. Bill Nighy is Rodney Williams, a civil servant diagnosed with terminal cancer who, through a chance meeting with a woman in a cafe, finds hope and a new purpose to his life.

The film lasts for 102 minutes.

As in the past, the films will start at 8.00 pm and the Studio Theatre (aka ‘The Cramphorn’) will be open from 7.00 pm.

To remind you, the other four dates are Monday 17 April, Tuesday 25 April, Wednesday 3 May and Tuesday 9 May.  As soon as I have confirmation of the titles of the films, I will let you know.

Best wishes

Peter Bunyan
Chair – CFC

PS: As advised in our previous newsletter, we will be offering a 2023 membership of £22 for all five films. Membership for the curtailed 2019-20 Season will still be valid for all 5 films without additional charge (nnd don’t worry if you’ve lost/mislaid your membership card: as long as your name is on our Membership List you’ll be allowed in!), and Guests are still very welcome.

Newsletter 17 February 2023

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Important Announcement – Relaunch of the Chelmsford Film Club!!!

Dear Members

It’s been some time since I wrote to you with news of how plans to re-start the Film Club were progressing and I apologise for this.  But at last I have something positive and encouraging to report.

After many months of negotiations with Chelmsford Theatres, we have been offered FIVE dates when we can hire what was the Cramphorn Studio.  These are:

Monday 3 April, Monday 17 April, Tuesday 25 April, Wednesday 3 May, Tuesday 9 May

The films will be selected from a short-list of those which have recently been well-reviewed, drawn up by the Committee.  Regretfully, it has not been possible to get any earlier dates, as I would have liked, owing to delays in refurbishing the Cramphorn, or to spread the dates out.  The urgent need to put a programme together has also meant it has not been possible to consult with our members as to the choice of films.

I’m sure you will be aware that this short programme of only five films aims to compensate members for missing the last five films we could not show in 2020 due to the Covid Lockdown. If this programme proves successful, then the Committee would very much hope to plan a longer programme for the end of 2023, going into 2024, consulting with members on which films they would like to see.  The difficult work now begins of negotiating the licensing agreements with the distributors of the chosen films and matching them to the dates above.

I am aware that you may have other engagements in your diaries on the proposed dates and may be disappointed that you won’t be able to come to all the screenings. I can only apologise again for the short notice and ask for your understanding.

As soon as it can be done, I will send you details of the programme due to begin on 3 April.  In the meantime, do spread the word!  Guests are still very welcome as are any new members who may like to join for what will be a fee of £22 for the five films.  And don’t worry if you’ve lost/mislaid your membership card: as long as your name is on our Membership List you’ll be allowed in!

Best wishes

Peter Bunyan

Chair CFC Committee