A SHORT SEASON OF FIVE FILMS

Monday, 3rd April: Living – Dir: Oliver Hermanus, 2022, 102 mins, UK

Set in the London of 1953, Bill Nighy is Rodney Williams, a civil servant diagnosed with terminal cancer. A chance meeting with a woman in a cafe gives him renewed hope and purpose.

Monday, 17th April: A Bunch Of Amateurs – Dir: Kim Hopkins, 2022, 95 mins, UK

Bradford Movie Makers is one of the oldest amateur filmmaking clubs in the world. Once a thriving community, these days the membership is dwindling and the group struggles to keep the wolf from the door. An enthralling story and full of moving characters.

Tuesday, 25th April: Parallel Mothers – Dir: Pedro Almodóvar, 2021, 123 mins, Spain

Penelope Cruz, again, in Almodóvar’s latest movie. Two women meet in a maternity ward as they give birth under difficult circumstances. Their personal, tragic histories are eventually mirrored in that of Spain itself during the Civil War.

Wednesday, 3rd May: Corsage – Dir: Marie Kreutzer, 2022, 112 mins, Austria/France/Germany/Luxembourg

In this historical drama, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who is estranged from her philandering husband, begins to act oddly as she approaches her 40th birthday. Renowned for her beauty, her obsessive behaviour takes its toll.

With Vicky Krieps, the actor seen in Phantom Thread

Tuesday, 9th May: Saint Omer – Dir: Alice Diop, 2022, 122 mins, France

Laurence Coly, a Senegalese woman, is on trial in St. Omer for causing the death of her 15-month-old child by leaving her on a beach to be swept away by the tide. Roma, a budding novelist, is interested in the case, for personal reasons, and travels from Paris to observe the trial.

Films are screened at the Chelmsford Civic Studio (‘Cramphorn Theatre’) and start at 8.00 pm. Doors open at 7.00 pm. Current members of CFC are admitted free, guests may be signed in for £7.50. New members may join and see all five films for £22.

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.