Keswick Film Club News

Poetry - Sunday 29th January 5pm

2012-01-28T00:30:00.001Z

This Sunday's film is Poetry, a south Korean film with a startlingly good central performance by Yun Jiong-hie, who came out of retirement to play Mija, an elderly nurse who discovers she has early Alzheimer's disease.
According to Time Out,

"True to the spirit of the title, writer-director Lee organises the sprawling mess of Mija’s personal life with the control and grace of a master, each digression and seemingly arbitrary encounter all building upon his elderly protagonist’s spiralling sense of distress. So relaxed is the pacing, you suspect certain segments would not have worked were it not for Yun’s exhilarating, meticulous central performance......As with Chekhov’s theory of the gun, anyone who starts a film going to poetry classes is eventually going to come up with a poem. The one Mija finally delivers will rip your heart to shreds."

KFC On The Road: Dr Zhivago, Mungrisdale, Fri 27th

2012-01-22T19:05:00.000Z

If any of you are in the mood for a old classic film, why not go along to Dr Zhivago, our 'KFC on the Road' presentation at Mungrisdale Village Hall on Friday 27th January at 7.30. I have been there twice now and I guarantee a warm reception; give it a try and you might well become a regular there too!

The Red Machine - Sunday 22nd January 5pm

2012-01-19T19:04:00.002Z

After two weeks in France we are off to America for this week's film - The Red Machine.

Set in the 1930s, when the US and Japan were still allies (at least on paper). This is the story of an attempt to steal Japan's 'Enigma Machine'...but without Japan knowing it. A very tight-lipped, stoney-faced Navy spy and a wisecracking safe-breaker are teamed up to accomplish the task, both bringing their own baggage along. In a clever touch, the directors change the scene colouring and background music to fit the two main characters.

What results is a tightly shot heist movie - the final robbery scene where silence is essential had me on the edge of my seat - shot like a 40s B crime movie... BUT... is it a spoof? Only you can decide, but I think you will enjoy it either way.

Vaughan

The Swimming Pool - Sunday 15th January 5pm

2012-01-13T08:50:00.000Z

We stay across La Manche for this Sunday's film, with a classic from 1969 - The Swimming Pool. Alain Delon, Romy Schneider and a young Jane Birkin, (just 3 years after she was in Blow Up, to give you something of a timeline). From a review of the DVD:

This dark drama .......may have been the film in production near St. Tropez when on October 1, 1968, Delon's shady bodyguard was found murdered. Delon's movements were investigated and he was held for questioning, though he was never charged with the crime. Nevertheless, the scandal was the talk of Europe for many months and never entirely went away, cementing Delon's dangerous image and forever blurring his offscreen life to film roles.

The Well Diggers Daughter - Sunday 8th January 5pm

2012-01-04T18:36:00.000Z

We start the club season THIS SUNDAY (8 January) with our usual free drinks - 4.15 at the Alhambra - a chance to shake off the January blues, forget the wind and say hello to each other again. It is also a chance for you to buy this season's pass. £26 will get you in to all twelve films - a bargain in anyone's book! These will be on sale at a table in the stalls (warmer than by the front door!) AND, if you haven't already joined the club, you can still pay for this year's membership; at £7, you STILL have chance to save money - not only do you get £1 off ALL club films, you save £1 on ALL festival films too! How can you resist!

Sunday's film at 5.00pm is 'The Well Digger's Daughter' - Daniel Auteuil stars, as well as directing his first movie here. A 1940s tale of love, class and honour, set in pre-WW2 Provence, we follow the beautiful Daughter of the title as she falls in love with the well-off shopkeeper's son...just in time to get pregnant as he flies off to war. The Well Digger then has to decide how to deal with his favourite daughter without losing honour in his local community. The story comes from a book by Marcel Pagnol, who also wrote 'Jean de Florette' and 'Manon des Sources', two films which brought Daniel Auteuil to fame in the 1980s...

Merry Christmas from Keswick Film Club

2011-12-18T17:30:00.000Z

A Small Act brings us to the end of our Autumn season of films. We're now taking a short break over Christmas but we'll be back on January 8th with The Well Diggers Daughter. There are another 10 films in the Spring Programme as well as an evening of short film and around 30 films on offer at the 13th Keswick Film Festival in February.

Merry Christmas.

A Small Act - Sunday 18th December 2011

2011-12-16T08:55:00.001Z

And so to our final film of 2011. It only seems like a week or two ago that Adele Blanc Sec kicked off the autumn programme. A Small Act, on Sunday shouldn't contain any battle scenes, nor any embarrassing nuptuals. From the Guardian:

Directed by an American graduate in African history from UCLA and the University of Nairobi, this touching documentary takes its title from the small amount of money given each month to pay for the education of a poor boy in rural Kenya. Hilde Back arrived in Sweden as a refugee in 1940; her parents died in the Holocaust. The beneficiary of her generosity, Chris Mburu, subsequently went on to Harvard Law School, as did his cousin Jane, and both are now leading figures with the United Nations...

The Princess of Montpensier - Sunday 11th December 5pm

2011-12-08T18:05:00.001Z

In the run up to Christmas, this week's film, The Princess of Montpensier, should be lighter than last week's. Bertrand Tavernier has been directing films since the 1960s (remember 'Sunday in the Country' or 'Round Midnight'?). He is one of the most prolific and generous of directors, and there is no word that summarizes a "Tavernier film" except, usually, masterful.

The story here is of a noblewoman forced to marry a man she has never met. It is set against the religious wars of the 16th Century in France, but it tells mainly of the the contradictions between her value as a possession and as an object of desire, between her desires (for both knowledge and passion) and her complete lack of rights to decide for herself.

Outside The Law - Sunday 4th December 5pm

2011-12-02T10:01:00.001Z

This week's offering looks good - Outside the Law, set in the time of the struggle for independence in Algeria. I am particularly looking forward to seeing one of my favourite actors, Jamel Debbouze in a more serious film - he was the Grocer's assistant in Amelie and the lead in Luc Besson's Angel A, if that rings any bells.

TimeOut described it as follows

French-Algerian filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb’s ‘Outside the Law’ is a fierce historical tale with Jean-Pierre Melville’s ‘Army of Shadows’ (1969) written all over it. Even more sweeping and provocative than his ‘Days of Glory’ (2006), which honoured the contribution of North African troops to the liberation of France in 1944, Bouchareb’s latest fictionalises the origins and campaign of Algeria’s National Liberation Front (FLN), the movement that waged a campaign of violence in France and Algeria in the run-up to independence in 1962. It’s a big, bold film defined by a reserved passion, a stately style and strong performances from its three leads.

Life, Above All - Sunday 27th November 5pm

2011-11-24T18:22:00.001Z

This week's film is Life, Above All. Based on the novel 'Chanda's Secret', this puts 12 year old Chanda in the hot seat, trying to hold her family together in an AIDS afflicted township in South Africa. We are showing this film just in time for World AIDS Day (1st December), and it comes as a timely reminder that this is still devastating communities in Africa. One of the main reasons it is still so bad there is the African's refusal to recognise it as a disease, preferring to blame witchcraft, poison or, simply each other. It is the death of Chanda's sister here that gets the family ostracised by their community, and Chanda's attempts to deal with it that are the central points of the film.Expect to be deeply moved (especially by the performance of Khomotso Manyaka as Chanda), but also expect humour and a sense of hope for the future. 'A very rewarding watch' - Anna Smith, Empire

Patagonia - Sunday 20th November 5pm

2011-11-17T08:50:00.001Z

Our world tour takes us from the Middle East to South America and South Wales this week, with Patagonia. It looks like an intriguing offering as described by 'The Arts Desk':

To anyone less than familiar with a transatlantic migration of 150 souls which took place in 1865, a bilingual film with dialogue in Spanish and Welsh may look like a subtitled bridge too far. Any such prejudgement would be a mistake. Patagonia is a film rich in cinematic textures which visits not one but two ravishing parts of the world rarely celebrated in widescreen................If you squint hard at Patagonia in Patagonia, and pretend the grass isn’t yellow, some of its lumps and humps do look a bit like the steep green hills of home. On the deepest level of all, though, Evans’s affecting film asks what ties continue to link these two remarkably dissimilar places from opposite hemispheres, one baked by sun, the other washed by rain. There is no answer beyond memory, and the enchantment lent by distance.

KFC Gala Night, Sunday 13th November

2011-11-07T18:55:00.002Z

Our next Special Night is coming up this Sunday 13th November. We are showing TWO FILMS for the PRICE OF ONE...PLUS there will be some FREE snacks between the films to keep you sustained!

The evening is our GALA NIGHT which is to thank Rod Evans for all he did for the club since it began in 1998. Rod has chosen both of the films and will be introducing them too, so I am sure a lot of you will want to come along!

The films are The Tree of Life - the winner of this year's 'Palme d'Or' at Cannes, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Terrence Malick which we will be showing at 4.00pm. At 7.30pm, we have Incendies - a mystery thriller based in the Middle East and itself nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film...a veritable feast of movies!

Between the two movies, there will be some snacks served in the Freemason's Hall over the road from the Alhambra. These will be free to anyone buying a ticket for the films, but we would like to get a rough count of those people who will be there, so please let us know if you plan on coming along.

Confessions - Sunday 6th November 5pm

2011-11-04T15:23:00.000Z

This weekend we have very different film for you - 'Confessions', another entry for this year's Foreign Language Oscar, this time from Japan. A chilling tale of murder and revenge, we see a school teacher, Yuko Moriguchi, dealing with the death of her own child which, she believes, was at the hands of the school pupils she teaches, not the accident the police believe. Her 'proof' and revenge are shown in a series of flashbacks, twists and turns.

The director, Tetsuya Nakashima, wraps the story up with 'his signature stylistic inventiveness', making him 'one of the few directors currently working who has intelligence enough to ensure that his films aren't just eye-poppingly stylish but loaded with emotional substance' - Tom Huddleston, Time Out. A bit different to last week's film, you will agree!

Young Hearts Run Free - Sunday 30th October 5pm

2011-10-28T08:52:00.001+01:00

This Sunday's offering Young Hearts Run Free has all the hallmarks of a fascinating evening, almost a rehearsal for the Festival, with a terrific low budget film followed by a Q&A with the Director, Mark Simpson. Its described by the future artists website as;

1974; during a violent miners’ strike in a quiet village a teenage artist meets the gorgeous new girl from London but their tempestous relationship and attempts to escape cause him to betray his family, community and best friends.
With political protests and community bonds straining under a crumbling economy the 1974 setting is relevant for today and Young Hearts Run Free is an uplifting and soulful mix of cool 1970s styles, romance, teenage angst and gritty social realism.
Andy Mark Simpson’s debut feature was made with the director’s own money on a tiny budget but has gone on to get national press attention (***Total Film, ***The Telegraph, ‘Heartfelt’ The Guardian), has won festival awards in Britain, USA and India and has been released in cinemas around the UK not only that but, this from the Bootleg Film Festival:‘Young Hearts Run Free is a fascinating, passionate, revelatory tale of what it is to be young and in love. This is a wonderfully realised debut from a seriously talented newcomer.’

In A Better World - Sunday 23rd October 5pm

2011-10-21T10:58:00.000+01:00

We are back at the Alhambra on Sunday for Susanne Bier's 'In A Better World', which won the 2011 Oscar for the best Foreign Language Film and Golden Globes in both the USA and Italy. Our second Danish film this year brings us two families facing conflict in two parts of the world - In Africa where the father of one boy works in a refugee camp and back home in Denmark where his son tries to deal with being bullied at school. He is helped by his new-found friend, who is himself trying to get over his own mother's death. The Danish title 'Haevnen' translates as 'Revenge', which gives us a better idea of the background story here; revenge or forgiveness? Bier's strength is storytelling and her ability to find actors to do those stories justice. There has been critical acclaim for the actors here too, especially the two boys.

We had her previous film - 'After the Wedding' - at our 2007 Film Festival, which scored 84% with the audience. So... an award winning film, a good script with good acting and a director we know we like...see you on Sunday at 5.00pm?

Pina 3D - Sunday 16th October 5pm (Rheged)

2011-10-13T14:20:00.000+01:00

Our film on Sunday - PINA - is the result of Wim Wenders' inspiration, and should inspire us too! Possibly the first 3D film to move beyond blockbuster trickery, we have a chance to see what a great director can do with it.

Showing on the huge screen at Rheged, this is, quite literally, a film like no other you have seen before... If you want to read more about the efforts made to use 3D here, see www.pina-film.de/en/about-3D

For those who have booked the meal afterwards, please bring cash, as we have promised to collect the money for them and I dont take credit cards...! £9.00 per head please.. See you at Rheged on Sunday at 5.00pm.

Last Call For Rheged Meals

2011-10-10T20:09:00.002+01:00

We need to confirm the number of people who will be joining us for the meal after Pina on Sunday. So if you'd like to stay for the food, please can you email Vaughan by 9.00pm on Wednesday 12th October.

For £9 you can choose from:-
1.Lamb and Mint Hotpot with red cabbage and crusty bread
OR
2.Roasted vegetable, tomato and basil pasta

followed by
A.Vanilla Cheesecake and Mango Coulis
OR
B.Ice cream and Berry compote

You can pay on the night, but only if you have ordered in advance, so please reply before you forget!We hope you can all come to the film - it promises to be one of the highlights of the year - and that the idea of making an evening of it appeals too!

Armadillo - Sunday 9th October 5pm

2011-10-07T16:45:00.004+01:00

This Sunday we have Armadillo and over at the POV website director, Janus Metz, explains how audiences have reacted to the film:

Armadillo's account and analysis of the brutalizing mechanisms of war has been recognized by audiences all over the world, but it is also a film that doesn't give any direct answers and that dwells on the ambivalence of difficult moral questions. Audiences have come away with different readings of the film, but the fundamental narrative and the exploration of war at ground level have resonated with people all over the world. I have shown the film to Afghans, who have praised it for its precision and importance, and I have shown it to Vietnam vets, who have told me that Armadillo also reflected their experiences.

A night out at Rheged with Wim Wenders and a meal

2011-10-05T18:51:00.000+01:00

In less than two weeks on Sunday 16th October we are off to Rheged to see Wim Wenders' 'Pina' on the IMAX screen and in 3D. Wenders sets out to to deliberately use 3D to explore the use of space on a stage as part of choreography, so we can expect to see an answer to the question posed in the trailer - 'Is it Dance? Is it Theatre? Or is it simply life?'

To increase that treat further, if you want, we have organised a meal at Rheged after the film! Why not make an evening of it? For £9.00 you will get the following choice:-

1. Lamb and mint hotpot with red cabbage and crusty bread
or
2. Roasted vegetable, tomato and basil pasta

Followed by:

A. Vanilla cheesecake and mango coulis
or
B. Ice cream and berry compote

If you'd like to come please get in touch with Vaughan and let him know what choices you would like (just 1 or 2 and A or B will do), we may also offer transport if you need it; so let us know about that too!

There is another deal you might be interested in - Rheged now have a new Gallery open which has an exhibition of costumes used in films. As part of our evening, if you want to see this too, you can get in for a special rate of £2.50 before the film - just SHOW YOUR KFC MEMBERSHIP CARD) So why not get to Rheged early and take a look round the gallery too?!

This should be an extra special night for the club; there aren't many 3D films that promise so much, and we get to see it on the large IMAX screen at Rheged too. We hope you can make it!

Please get in touch as soon as you can if you want to eat as well, so we can finalise the arrangements!

Mary and Max - Sunday 2nd October 5pm

2011-09-30T08:12:00.000+01:00

It is time for our 'claymation' special this weekend at the Alhambra, which is a novelty for the club and should prove interesting; how do clay models translate to adult movies? What makes one of these movies so good it wins an Oscar?

We have two films to see, both directed by Adam Elliot; the first is the short 'Harvie Krumpet', which won the 2004 Oscar for the Best Animated Short Film - 'The odd biography of a man who has Tourette's Syndrome, chronic bad luck, menial jobs, nudist tendencies, and a book of "fakts" hung around his neck.' I'll confess I am not a 'clay lover', but I have recently watched this film and I'll admit I liked it, despite my initial reservations. A film about life...intriguing!

Our main movie for the night is 'Mary and Max', Elliot's follow-up - 'A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York'. Adam Elliot certainly picks his subjects! Again, reviewers and audiences seem to love it, what will Keswick Film Club make of it? I suspect we will be mixed, but come along and see what you think!

Keswick Film Club wins more awards at Annual Film Society Awards

2011-09-26T08:15:00.002+01:00

The British Federation of Film Societies Annual awards took place in London on 17th September and, once again Keswick did not come away empty handed. This year saw us win a commendation for our Programme again. For a small town, Keswick definitely does well – we have now won 21 awards since winning the Best New Society award in 2000, including Film Society of the Year in 2006.

One of the main reasons for our success was the hard work and inspiration that Rod Evans put into the club until he stood down earlier this year. His work brought him a well deserved award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual. This award was passed on to Rod at the beginning of our film on Sunday, which was greeted by very warm applause from the audience. We all owe Rod a great deal.

Our Programming has also been the mainstay of our club; no matter how well you run a film night, people only keep coming if they appreciate the films. Keswick has always tried to stay ahead of the pack, for which David Miller deserves much thanks. We have been lucky to have the Keswick Alhambra Monday night programme delivering films that many other film clubs would be proud of, leaving us free to go one stage further in our film selection; thanks to David we have consistently delivered! Our selection of foreign language, art house and
documentary films stands up against any club.

It is also worth mentioning that our website and brochure are, in my humble opinion, as good if not better than any other club. The award for best website was combined with ‘best marketing’ this year, but taking a look at other leading club sites, Stephen Brown also deserves praise; Have a look at any of them and I think you will agree!

Vaughan Ames, KFC Chair

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead - Sunday 22nd September 5pm

2011-09-22T20:07:00.000+01:00

This Sunday's film should be less contentious than Louise-Michel, but will definitely be more thrilling. Sydney Lumet directed Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei in this 'razor sharp' action thriller in 2008. At that time Lumet was 84, but the pundets have this film down as one of his best, alongside '12 Angry Men' and 'Serpico'. Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian said 'I needed hours to relax my tensed-up muscles'. We are showing this film as a tribute to Sydney Lumet who died last year.

Louise-Michel: 50.31%

2011-09-19T07:57:00.001+01:00

Louise-Michel split the audience last night, resulting in a score of 50.31%. Interestingly there were nearly as many 1-star scores as 5-stars ones.

* 12
** 19
*** 21
**** 14
***** 15

Read John Stake's Review for his thoughts on the film.

Louise-Michel - Sunday 18th September 5pm

2011-09-15T08:20:00.001+01:00

More Gallic humour this Sunday in the shape of Louise-Michel. I am always wary when critics describe a movie as 'destined to be a cult film' but the overwhelming majority of reviewers have been taken by the mix of black comedy and social comment that Benoit Delepine and Gustave de Kerverne have created.

Adele Blanc-Sec: Audience Score 76.7%

2011-09-15T08:16:00.000+01:00

The two Keswick organisations that pray most for rain on a regular basis must be the Leisure Pool and the Film Club. Sunday's monsoon, allied to to our traditional opening night get together resulted in a pleasingly full Alhambra (152) for the first film of the Autumn Season.

Not challenging stuff but Indiana Jones avec les sous-titres was a tasty amuse-bouche for the winter nights ahead Adele Blanc-Sec proved to be a fine feelgood opener and showed what the French can do with a ripping yarn, a charming heroine and some serious CGI.

Autumn Season Launch

2011-09-05T08:17:00.001+01:00

Our Autumn programme begins this Sunday with The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, a light-hearted comedy adventure romp; a 'mix of Amelie and Indiana Jones' according to Empire magazine. You can read the programme notes and watch the trailer here on the website.

As always we'd like to invite you for a start of season drink with us, so please do come along from 4.15pm on 11th September to swap your summer(?) stories with other members.

If you'd like to join or renew your membership you can download the application form and return in - it's tremendously helpful if you can do this before Sunday evening.

We have created an event on our Facebook page if you would like to let us and other 'Fans' know you'll be coming along.

Autumn Trailers

2011-08-29T06:45:00.001+01:00

If you're stuck for something to do on your Bank Holiday, you could whet your appetite for the Autumn season with this 30 minute selection of trailers:

Autumn Programme Announced

2011-08-21T14:02:00.002+01:00

The new brochures will soon be on their way to members and you can now see the new programme here on the website. Lots of great films to keep you entertained until Christmas including The Tree of Life, Mary and Max, the Oscar winning In A Better World. It all starts on September 11th with The Extraordinary Adventures Of Adele Blanc-Sec.

Autumn Programme

2011-07-13T08:36:00.001+01:00

We're busy putting together the details for the Autumn season which will start again on Sunday 11th September. The programme is already looking great and hopefully you're looking forward to seeing what great films we've selected for the winter months. We'll be adding more details to the website soon.

End Of Season

2011-04-12T20:58:00.000+01:00

Thank you all for coming to another great season of films, from the under appreciated lows of Uncle Boonmee (39.4%) to the heights of The Wildest Dream (90.6%), all of the scores and audience figures are available here.

Harimaya Bridge was enjoyed by the great majority and we'd like to thank all those who contributed to the collection for a Shelter Box for Japan. The collection's £237 fell a bit short of the £400 needed for Shelter Box, so the committee has decided to make up the rest from any donations you might still wish to make, and from Club reserves.

We'll be back in September with another great selection of films.

UK Première Of Harimaya Bridge - Sunday 10th April 5pm

2011-04-05T08:52:00.003+01:00

This Sunday evening, Keswick Film Club is offering you the chance to see the UK Première of Harimaya Bridge free of charge! This a chance to try out our friendly club without paying a penny, so bring along your friends.

Harimaya Bridge is about an American who goes to Japan to reclaim some important family items after the death of his estranged son. While there, he discovers some secrets about his son...

After the recent disaster in Japan, there will be voluntary collection towards a Shelter Box.

Of Gods And Men - Sunday 2nd April 5pm

2011-03-30T17:05:00.000+01:00

On Sunday we have what was considered probably the highlight of KFC's spring season: Of Gods and Men - and its reputation has certainly not dimmed since it was selected for our programme back in November. Peter Bradshaw has written a paean of praise (see our 'Cinema Handout' pdf file) as have nearly all the critics - but do have a look in your brochure. You might like the description by Derek Malcolm (London Evening Standard and President of the British Federation of Film Societies, no less): 'This is a deeply humane and compassionate film... moving because it tells us, often in the quietest detail, what basic decency and goodness really means.' I haven't used 'unmissable' much this year. Unmissable!

AGM + Loose Cannons - Sunday 25th March from 4pm

2011-03-25T10:10:00.000Z

Cinema-going may not be top of your list in weather like this, but we do hope you’ll be able to get to the AGM on Sunday. 4pm at the Alhambra. Ask your questions, have your say - and meet your new Chairman! The meeting usually lasts only half an hour or so, but if you really can’t make it, do try to get to the Alhambra by 5pm for Loose Cannons. It’s said by David Parkinson of Empire magazine, the critic of great taste and distinction who gave our Festival such a good write-up, to be ‘a slickly funny and polished Italian romantic comedy’ and described by Ben Walters of Time Out as ‘engaging, affecting, well-acted & handsomely shot’ It has done pretty well for audience reaction on the Rotten Tomatoes website too, so we’re hoping it will please the majority.

The Wildest Dream at Rheged IMAX - Sunday 20th March 5pm

2011-03-15T17:21:00.000Z

'For lovers of the greatest of outdoors, The Wildest Dream is a worthy excursion, especially on the big IMAX screen.' say Film Threat. Yes, you can catch it at 2pm on certain days at Rheged, but for the Club experience, do try to get there on Sunday - for another thing it's £3.50 cheaper! (Unless you're a senior citizen or child, which makes us only £2 cheaper). Here's another quote from a critic you probably won't have heard of: "This, not crud like A Christmas Carol, is what IMAX is made for. The visually astonishing Dream turns nature into artwork, whether Anker's partner Leo Houlding is doing a crazy-dangerous climb without safety ropes or Anker's enjoying a view that makes him look parallel to the sun."

Uncle Boonme - Sunday March 13th 5pm

2011-03-11T12:09:00.000Z

We’re looking forward to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Thai movie Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, who isn’t given to doling out plaudits to also-rans, awards it 5 stars and describes it thus: ‘a cumbersome title, but it is a gloriously worthy winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival This is a visionary film in the director's characteristic style: mysterious, dreamlike, gentle, quiet, magical. It has elements that are at first glance absurd, and at second or third glance, too, come to that. But they are beguiling and beautiful as well: the extended, wordless opening sequence in which a water buffalo appears to break free from its rope and roam the plains and forests of north-east Thailand at dusk is superbly filmed…It all has something sublime and visionary about it, with a spiritual quality I can't remember seeing in any film recently. Uncle Boonmee offers pleasure and heartbreak in equal measure… one of those rare films that contribute to the sum of human happiness’

On Tour - Sunday 6th March 5pm

2011-03-03T10:38:00.000Z

This is how Edinburgh Filmhouse described On Tour: Mathieu Amalric (you saw him as the locked-in character in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly or even the villain in Quantum of Solace) ‘revives the genre of backstage drama through a performance form that is itself a revival of a moribund art – burlesque. The result is an entertaining, nostalgic film with a lot of charm. Amalric stars as a former French TV producer and personality who has returned from an extended stay in the United States with a troupe of New Burlesque artists. He has planned a tour of the port cities of France from Le Havre to Toulouse, then on to a grand finale in Paris.’ There’s much more information in the film notes:, where Jason Wood of Little White Lies – a review site I’m finding increasingly trustworthy – finishes his review with ‘The film’s conclusion… is amongst the finest and most thrillingly executed sequences in recent French cinema’

The Wildest Dream at Rheged

2011-03-01T18:57:00.001Z

The message from Rheged is that The Wildest Dream looks fantastic on their huge IMAX screen, so we hope you’ll be able to join Club members on 20th March for a memorable experience. A large part of the idea though is to invite you to eat in the Rheged restaurant after the film: you can choose 2 courses (starter and main, or main and dessert) at £11.95, or 3 courses at £14.95.

There is a bus service from Keswick at 16.15, and which gets to Rheged at 16.45 for those not wishing to drive, but, unfortunately, not back. If people want us to arrange a coach please let us know – that would be likely to cost £4-5 if about 50 people were interested. We also need 50 people to want to eat in order to make the meal happen, and Rheged would like to know names and choices fairly soon, so if you could please let Rod know by Thursday 10th March if you’re feeling peckish (and include ‘yes’ to a coach if you want transport), that would be very helpful.

Enemies of the People - Sunday 27th February 5pm

2011-02-24T10:24:00.000Z

Enemies of the People is coming up on Sunday. If you enjoyed seeing The Killing Fields in the 2002 Festival, part of our 'Painting with Light - Great cinematographers' strand, (Chris Menges, DP for that film was, along with Jack Cardiff, one of the illustrious band) you'll doubtless really welcome the chance to complete your knowledge of those terrible Khmer Rouge times in Cambodia. But no matter if you didn't: Enemies of the People is quite capable of standing alone as a gripping documentary aimed at restoring justice and healing old wounds. It scored 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and achieved a high audience satisfaction too. Derek Adams of Time Out said 'This is patient, persistent, probing and fearless journalism of the highest order and it shocks to the core.' and just look at Andrew Marr's tribute on the film page, where you can also find the notes.

Certified Copy - Sunday 20th February 5pm

2011-02-17T21:44:00.001Z

After the Festival we're back to the old familiar routine of good films for a Sunday evening... This Sunday we’ve got Certified Copy (Copie conforme) – The distinguished Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s first film made in Europe, employing one of Europe’s foremost actresses – Juliette Binoche got the Best Actress gong at Cannes last year for her performance – and William Shimell, usually listed as ‘one of Britain's most accomplished operatic baritones’ in his first major film role.

12th Keswick Film Festival

2011-02-10T16:44:00.000Z

12th Keswick Film Festival: Thursday 10th - Sunday 13th
www.keswickfilmfestival.org

Peepli [Live] - Sunday 6th February 5pm

2011-02-03T10:31:00.000Z

We're looking forward to one more film before the Festival and on Sunday Peepli [Live] should appeal to hearts and minds equally. One of the central themes - Indian farmers' suicides - won't immediately seem an antidote to the sad lives depicted in the last two Sundays' films but, though tragic, it is an amusing part of a Catch-22 situation satirised by Anusha Rizvi in her debut feature. For example, Boxoffice Magazine tells us: 'The juxtaposition of the tragedy and the lunacy of the circumstances are not completely disparate; satire is an appropriate weapon here, but it's the drama in Peepli Live that truly resonates.' And Moving Pictures Magazine: 'Its comical, sharply observant caricatures of India's political and media jackals offers a much-needed reality check in a country where celluloid escapism is too often the rule.' And finally Empire speaks of 'a highly-assured debut by Rizvi' and The Guardian 'a satirical gem'. Sounds intriguing...?

The Arbor - Sunday 30th January 5pm

2011-01-27T20:30:00.000Z

Did you know that on Sunday we have what Sight & Sound judged (through their panel of eminent international critics) as number 5 on the list of the best ten of 2010? Yes, The Arbor, the story of playwright Andrea Dunbar. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear you say ‘no’: some films (The King’s Speech?) get the hype they deserve, others don’t, and this one didn’t. At the London Film Festival, director, Clio Barnard, another artist turned filmmaker, took home the Sutherland award, given to the director of the most original feature, as well as the best British newcomer prize. She also won the BIFA for best British newcomer.

Before that, we’re going to be treated to a very professional-looking short called Corpses and Other Teenage Problems made by Halifax-based Robert Frost, who is coming along on person to introduce it. All things considered, it should be a very entertaining evening.

Leap Year - Sunday 23rd January 5pm

2011-01-20T11:24:00.002Z

Coming up on Sunday, we have Leap Year, another Mexican film (made by an Australian) but it's a case of chalk and cheese, after Alamar: you just need to look at the description in the KFC spring brochure to see that the subject matter is challenging, and may not be to the taste of all. But we do think that it's the kind of film that gives the breadth and vitality to its programme that any active film club should be countenancing, especially when that film wins the Caméra d'or at Cannes 2010 (Steve McQueen won it for Hunger in 2008) and it gains the approval of 100% of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. 'Proves, if you were beginning to doubt, that people still make good grown-up films' said Nigel Andrews of the Financial Times. So, 'strong adult content', as they say - please don't come if you're likely to be offended...

There's quite a lot more to find out about it, if you need further info, in the programme notes (PDF)

Alamar - Sunday 16th January 5pm

2011-01-13T20:26:00.000Z

This Sunday before Alamar (To the Sea) we'll be showing Oceans Journey, an underwater travelogue by local filmmaker John Walker both films contain some beautiful nature photography. Alamar was largely overlooked on release but well praised by the critics:

'Moving...assured, refreshingly simple...a bubble of blissed-out tropicalia.' Time Out.

'An immensely charming movie.' Daily Express.

'Lyrical...beautiful.' Seattle Times.

Spring Season Opening - The Kids Are All Right

2011-01-07T19:03:00.000Z

As is traditional now, we’re going to kick off the next part of our year with drinks (wine or juice) on Sunday 9th at 4.15pm. Do come along to wish your friends and fellow-members a Happy New Year before The Kids Are All Right at 5pm.

Spring Programme

2010-12-23T14:19:00.000Z

Our Spring Programme of films starts on January 9th with The Kids Are All Right and amongst the other films on offer also includes a trip to Rheged's giant IMAX screen and the 12th Keswick Film Festival.

The full Spring Programme and brochure are now available on the website.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T13:39:00.001Z

All of the committee would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and an excellent beginning and continuation of 2011. We’ll hope to see you on 9th Jan for The Kids Are All Right, and for a drink beforehand at 4.15pm.

New Time: La Danse - Sunday 19th at 4.30pm

2010-12-12T18:58:00.000Z

We've had to move La Danse to the slightly earlier time of 4.30 pm. This is to accommodate the Narnia film which needs to start for the kids' sake at 7.30pm. We'd be very grateful if you could mention the change of time to anyone you think may be interested.

Down Terrace - Sunday 12th December 5pm

2010-12-09T11:02:00.000Z

Down Terrace is being mentioned in the same category as The Long Good Friday, Get Carter, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (although it's much lower budget than them) rather than the britgangster dross that has been prevalent in the last few years. It won Jury Prize at the Raindance Film Festival as well as the Raindance Award at the British Independent Film Awards and the Best Film Next Wave Award at the Austin Film Festival, and that's not bad going. And two views from across the pond:

'The British do kitchen-sink realism extremely well; they also have a nice way with black comedy. It's rare, however, to see the two as wickedly combined as they are in Down Terrace."

Kate Taylor, Globe and Mail.

"Often gaspingly, ridiculously funny."

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

Skeletons - Sunday 5th December 5pm

2010-12-02T18:58:00.000Z

Skeletons is the fourteenth film film this season but the first in the English language, which may be some kind of record. High praise in the brochure and as far as one can judge, a film that's highly likely to appeal to the refined sense of humour of the KFC membership. Venez nombreux as they say over there. And as we always say, it's not your money we want, it's large audiences enjoying films we've chosen as carefully as possible for your appreciation.

White Material - Sunday 28th November 5pm

2010-11-25T18:53:00.000Z

'There's no better filmmaker working in the world right now.' There, you have it from the horse's mouth: Nick James, editor of our bible Sight & Sound was talking about Claire Denis on the release of her latest film White Material - which we have for you on Sunday. Having burst on the scene with Chocolat in 1988, the first of her films that KFC screened was Beau Travail, made in 1999 and based on French Foreign Legion troops in North Africa. Then a gap, for us, until 35 Shots of Rum, just a year ago - 'a richly textured meditation on family, friendship, love and loss' as it said in our brochure. And then there's the star, Isabelle Huppert, whom you've seen twice recently, in Home and The Sea Wall. Astonishingly she has been nominated for the Best Actress César (France's Oscar) 13 times, but only won it once (for Chabrol's La Cérémonie) but if British she'd surely have been Damed by now.

Mother - Sunday 21st November 5pm

2010-11-18T22:00:00.002Z

South Korean director Joon-Ho Bong has already had two major successes, with Memories of Murder, screened by KFC in spring 2005, and The Host in the 2007 Festival. Like an old friend really! But Tom Huddleston, respected critic of Time Out says: 'Bold, unpredictable and quietly devastating, Mother is Bong's first masterpiece.' Quite an improvement on what was already a pretty good standard then! And do have a look at the comments of the two eminent American critics quoted in the brochure and on the film page: this is another of the autumn programme's films that we expect to be amongst the mustn't-be-missed category

A weekend of hell?

2010-11-11T10:40:00.005Z

How about a weekend of hell? Or L'Enfer as we've chosen to call it. You might be wondering about what's going on, with films on both Saturday and Sunday, so here's the pitch: one of France's greatest film directors,Henri-Georges Clouzot, decided that he had the idea for a masterpiece, and wrote the script for a film which was to be called L'Enfer. For various reasons, which will become clear, Clouzot's great new film was never made, but his widow made important parts of it available to Serge Bromberg, a gifted young documentarist, and he was able to create a fascinating movie (from interviews, those 'rushes' and his own knowledge) which we're showing on Sunday at 5pm. So this one is called L'Enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot. Peter Bradshaw calls it a 'must-see' and the collective view of most reliable critics is similar. It gets the small matter of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes!

Now on Saturday at 5pm, we're screening the film that another of France's best-known directors, Claude Chabrol, made from the script of L'Enfer that was acquired for him from Clouzot's estate, about 30 years later. So you'll have a chance to compare the two films and gain more understanding of the script-to-film process, as well as enjoying two pictures that could stand alone as fascinating in themselves. Emmanuelle Béart, or Romy Schneider - which one would have better played the role of a wife likely to inspire a man's jealousy? You'll have the choice...

The Headless Woman - Sunday 7th November 5pm

2010-11-06T10:50:00.000Z

The Secret in their Eyes proved as popular as expected, in terms of attendance (6th highest since 'records began' in 2003) and 22nd in terms of audience reaction with 88.62%. Not everyone liked it though - see John's review.

The third and last of our series of Argentinian films is coming up this Sunday, with Lucrecia Martel's The Headless Woman. Old hands will have seen her La Cienaga (The Swamp) at the 2002 Festival. You can get a good idea of what is on offer from the brochure and film notes or by listening to the Daily Telegraph film critic: 'Chances are you'll leave Martel's film wanting to see it again. Rightly so. It's elliptical, encoded, endlessly suggestive.'

The Secret In Their Eyes - Sunday 31st October 5pm

2010-10-28T19:03:00.000+01:00

As the clocks change and your determination to be out fellwalking, gardening, etc., will doubtless wane in the dark, we have for you what promises to be one of, if not the highlight of the autumn season, The Secret in their Eyes on Sunday. It won the Oscar for Best Film in a Foreign Language this year, beating the likes of A Prophet and The White Ribbon in the process, and has been very warmly praised indeed by several discerning KFC members who have already seen it.

Lion's Den: 71.76%

2010-10-26T22:46:00.003+01:00

108 people came along to see Lion's Den on Sunday and gave it a score of 71.76%, you can read John's review here and leave your own comments on the film's page.

This Sunday we have the winner of the 2009 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, The Secret In Their Eyes, described by Roger Ebert as a "complete, engrossing, lovingly-crafted film".

Lion's Den - Sunday 24th October 5pm

2010-10-21T19:48:00.002+01:00

On Sunday, we embark on a run of 3 Argentinian films which will give you a chance to appreciate fully some of the fine filmmaking that is, and has been for a few years now, going on in that part of the world (remember Nine Queens, Son of the Bride, La Cienaga, El Bonaerense, Familia Rodante, Whisky, The Motorcycle Diaries, La Antena, Born and Bred, all of which we've screened).

Well, three of those films have come from the creative juices of Sunday's director, Pablo Trapero: Lion's Den was a natural pick for our autumn programme when it was so much appreciated by critics and prize-giving juries around the world, and nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. In fact, actress Martina Gusman attracted almost as much praise for her part in the proceedings as the director himself, winning numerous awards including the FIPRESCI Prize at Palm Springs.

Revanche - Sunday 17th October 5pm

2010-10-14T13:32:00.004+01:00

No more war films – you can come back now! But to be serious, our audience of 86 for City Of Life And Death wasn’t too bad in the circumstances, given that it was a lovely sunny afternoon, and only a fortnight after the harrowing experience of Lebanon.

This Sunday’s offering, Revanche gives a complete change of mood. To illustrate that, here are three critics’ quotes: ‘That rarest of things -- a thoughtful thriller.’ Total Film. ‘As good a thriller as you'll see this year.’ Empire. 'Crisply photographed, beautifully acted and taut as a cheese-wire.’ Time Out. Your brochure gives you a fair description too, and bear in mind that Revanche was considered a serious contender for Best Film in a Foreign Language at last year’s Oscars. Trailer and notes as usual on the website.

City Of Life And Death: 83.17%

2010-10-10T22:28:00.002+01:00

City Of Life And Death was another difficult film but our audience really appreciated it and gave it a score of 83.17%.

This coming Sunday we have Revanche, nominated for Best Foreign Film at last year's Oscars and described by the Radio Times as a "riveting study of desire, isolation, guilt and redemption ... surprisingly optimistic in its assessment of human weakness."

City Of Life And Death - Sunday 10th October 5pm

2010-10-07T21:55:00.003+01:00

The Concert did a very good job in separating the two harshest films on our programme: both Lebanon and City of Life and Death are easily categorised as war films, and neither avoids the more horrible aspects of warfare, but they are of a very different type. The Chinese film, coming up on Sunday, is much more wide-ranging, examining scenes of conflict and the huge impact of the Japanese invasion on the civilian population of Nanjing. But it also tells the story of several figures, both historical and fictional, including a Chinese soldier, a schoolteacher, a Japanese soldier, a foreign missionary, and John Rabe, a Nazi businessman who would ultimately save thousands of Chinese civilians.

'Possibly the war film of the year... the director achieves humane switches of perspective on both sides which put Saving Private Ryan to shame.' Tim Robey, Telegraph

'One of the finest films of the year so far, City of Life and Death is harrowing, shocking and searingly emotional... the picture has the grandeur of a classic. It should be witnessed.' Kate Muir The Times

'One of the most powerful films you'll ever see. Literally unforgettable.' Little White Lies

More High Scores For Le Concert

2010-10-03T22:38:00.002+01:00

The audience score for Le Concert may only be higher than Lebanon by less than one percent but with 88.5% it is now our second highest scoring film of the year. You can read John's review here and let us know why you liked it so much by leaving a comment on the film page.

This Sunday sees a return to war with City Of Life And Death, it comes highly recommended with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and as highlighted in the brochure by this quote from The Times: "One of the finest films of the year so far, it is harrowing, shocking and searingly emotional... the picture has the grandeur of a classic. It should be witnessed."

Le Concert - Sunday 3rd October 5pm

2010-10-01T13:23:00.000+01:00

We're looking forward to Le Concert on Sunday: after a tough watch last week, there's a complete change of mood for you with this shamelessly entertainment-orientated Franco-Russian tale of a janitor at the Bolshoi dreaming of putting on a concert. But he's no ordinary janitor of course. It's one of those films that has pleased audiences more than critics, so our scores will be very interesting. Here are a couple of quotes that sum it up:

'While essentially a larky comedy caper, the film's undertones of lost opportunity and growing old strike exactly the right emotional notes. It makes for a tear-jerking finale of the very first order.' David Edwards, Daily Mirror.

'More sentimental, less spiky than Mihaileanu's stock-in-trade, Le Concert is an enjoyable take on the underdogs genre. And Laurent and the music are sublime.' Empire. (That's Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, by the way).

High Scores For Lebanon

2010-09-26T21:35:00.004+01:00

With 87.77% Lebanon becomes the 2nd highest scoring film of 2010, after Festival Audience Award winner Departures. You can read John's thoughts on Lebanon in his review for the Reminder and share your own views via our new commenting system on the film page.

Next up we have Le Concert, "A superbly directed, beautifully acted French farce that's both powerfully emotional and laugh-out-loud funny. Highly recommended" says Matthew Turner of ViewLondon.

Lebanon - Sunday 26th September 5pm

2010-09-23T21:50:00.002+01:00

This coming Sunday's film is Lebanon: first of all, please don't be kept away by talk of the violence that it contains. It is essentially a war film, and of course that entails violence, but the thrust of the film is definitely anti-war and you'll find the experience gripping (I hope) and persuasive. Here are some views from a couple of critics:

'In its creative audacity, the precision of its psychological portraiture and, above all, in its uncompromising moral seriousness, Lebanon accomplishes about as much as any war movie can.'

A. O. Scott, New York Times.

'It is a modern war movie of unusual poetic-political resonance and a brilliant stroke of minimalist filmmaking'

James Verniere, Boston Herald.

Oh... and it did win the Golden Lion at Venice.

Film Society of the Year Awards

2010-09-23T21:37:00.000+01:00

We didn't quite manage the top BFFS prizes, but Distinctions in Best Programming and Best Website - in effect runners-up - is a lot better than nothing. Apparently there are now at least 375 film societies and 'community cinemas', so coming second seems respectable. You can see a full list of all the winners at http://www.bffs.org.uk/awards/ and if you'd like some photos of the weekend too, with Derek Malcolm, Francine Stock et al, they're on a series which pictures our plaques at http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexsnelltraveletc/5002801308/in/set-7215762498 4466876/

Still Walking - Scores & Review

2010-09-21T07:54:00.002+01:00

Still Walking scored 70.57% with our audience on Sunday, you can read John's opinion in his review and leave your own views on the film page.

This Sunday we have Lebanon, "an astonishing feature debut that will amaze and upset, and has the strength to ask larger questions without ever forgetting its intimate roots." according to Empire.

Still Walking - Sunday 19th September 5pm

2010-09-16T19:06:00.002+01:00

This Sunday, we have for your delectation another Japanese film, Still Walking, that may go a long way towards rivalling last season's best-ever, Departures. Only the theme of family is similar, but the Japanese seem to have the knack of transferring quietly civilised, emotionally satisfying dramas to the big screen. And so say all the critics: it scores 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, which ain't easy.

Opening Time - Sunday 12th 4:15pm

2010-09-03T08:13:00.003+01:00

Come and meet your fellow film enthusiasts (and you’ll probably find that they share lots of your other enthusiasms) at 4.15pm on Sunday 12th September and enjoy a free drink (wine or juice) before the screening of I Am Love.

Chosen as the first film of the new season to appeal to the whole spectrum of our audience, this critically-acclaimed love story set in the moneyed upper classes of Milan has had its dramatic impact compared to King Lear or The Leopard.

We have created an event on our Facebook page if you would like to let us and other 'Fans' know you'll be coming along.

Autumn Season Starts 12th September

2010-08-14T12:50:00.004+01:00

The Autumn programme of films will be starting on 12th September with I Am Love starring Tilda Swinton.

"One of the most beautiful pieces of cinema we've seen in a good while" - Film Four

"A stunning achievement." - Variety

The full programme is now available here on the website and in the Autumn brochure which you should be able to pick up in and around Keswick (e.g. T.I.C, library and Booths).

Roman Film Festival: Programme Changes

2010-08-13T08:48:00.001+01:00

Things are going well at the Roman Festival at the Senhouse Museum, Maryport, and a few KFC members have been enjoying the films. There are a few changes to the programme: next Tuesday (17th) the film Centurion has been dropped in favour of the second part of Quo Vadis – the Polish version of 2001. And then on Tuesday 24th, the last of the series, it is hoped that the very new (on DVD at least) Agora by Alejandro Amenabar, set in 391 AD Alexandria will be available.

Roman Film Festival

2010-07-20T08:45:00.006+01:00

There is a series of 6 films about to start at the Senhouse Museum, Maryport. Organised by one of our members, Friend of Senhouse, Hugh Thomson, they are being screened, all at 7pm on the next six Tuesday evenings by your very own ‘KFC-on-the-Road’ team, and the programme is:

20th July Caesar & Cleopatra (Vivien Leigh)
27th July A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
3rd August Quo Vadis (Polish version - 2001)
10th August Mission Cleopatra
17th August Quo Vadis Part II
4th August Agora (TBC)

So, 7pm, Tuesday evenings...and free entry!

End Of Season

2010-04-24T13:15:00.003+01:00

Thank you all for coming to another great season of films. As you can see from the scores, it would seem the people of Keswick agree that Departures was a worthy Oscar winner, not only did it win the Film Festival Audience Award but is now the highest rated film in the club's history.

We'll be back in September with our Autumn programme of films and if you have any suggestions please do get in touch.

Don't forget you can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Departures - Sunday 11th March 5pm

2010-04-06T23:39:00.002+01:00

Departures won both our Festival Audience Award and the Best Film in a Foreign Language Oscar last year. Quite a few of you didn't get to see it at the Festival, which is such a pity that we've decided to extend the KFC season and show it again.

Un Prophète - Sunday 4th April 5pm

2010-04-02T09:53:00.002+01:00

We haven't used the word 'unmissable' much this season, but look at what the
Evening Standard critic says:

'Some films have World Cinema Classic stamped all over them. A Prophet has already won the Grand Prix at Cannes, the Best Film Award at the London Film Festival, and it will surely scoop the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in a month or so. (He was wrong, like nearly everyone else! - ed.) It is two-and-a-half hours long but I wouldn't have minded another hour. It is the best film about French society since La Haine, which came out no less than 15 years ago. But the reach of the film goes well beyond France and beyond Europe: it might be the most gripping work of art this year, and not seeing it could seriously damage your interestingness.'
Andrew O'Hagan, London Evening Standard

And the view from the USA (about a French film, remember!): 'Sensational, sweeping and precisely observed. A pitch-perfect film.' Manohla Dargis, New York Times. It's our film for Sunday, of course, at 5pm as usual. But don't forget, it's no longer the last of the season, with Departures coming up on 11th April.

Disgrace - Sunday 28th March 5pm

2010-03-25T21:10:00.002Z

Disgrace has attracted a good deal of critical approval, not least from the author of the Booker Prize-winning novel himself. As usual, your brochure and the film page will tell you plenty more, or check the critics on Rotten Tomatoes for yourself.

Not long to go now, before the beginning of your long drought of Club films - pack the last three in if you can! Disgrace on Sunday, then A Prophet on the 4th April and Departures on the 11th.

AGM 2010

2010-03-25T21:07:00.000Z

It's the AGM on Sunday at 4pm. Please come if you can - we'd welcome your views and we need a fair number of members to make the occasion meaningful.

The White Ribbon - Sunday 21st March 5pm

2010-03-18T19:15:00.002Z

We’re embarking on a run of must-see films – you really owe it to yourself to catch all four if you haven’t crept in early already! The White Ribbon, Disgrace, A Prophet, and Departures. The White Ribbon and A Prophet being rivals for the Best Foreign Language Oscar this year (‘tho both were beaten), Departures was the Oscar winner last year (and KFF11 Audience Award winner!), and Disgrace the film of the Booker Prize-winning novel by the Nobel Prize-winning author J M Coetzee.

It all starts on Sunday with The White Ribbon, winner of the Palme d’Or, Best FL Film in the Golden Globes, nominated for Oscar and Bafta Awards. Peter Bradshaw says it's ‘Profoundly disquieting, superbly acted and directed, its sinister riddle glitters more fiercely each time I watch it.’

The Sea Wall - Sunday 14th March 5pm

2010-03-11T22:56:00.002Z

When Derek Malcolm was here with Ken Russell last autumn we ran The Sea Wall past him and he gave it a firm nod of approval: Derek doesn't suffer foolish films gladly. You'll see from your brochure that it's a period piece: Cambodian exile (from the Khmer Rouge) Rithy Panh re-visits some of his country's past by adapting major French novelist Marguerite Duras's semi-autobiographical Un barrage contre le Pacifique for the big screen. Beautiful photography in a lush landscape, we're reliably informed, and the usual outstanding performance from grande dame of French cinema Isabelle Huppert, whose performance you probably enjoyed in Home, our opening film of the autumn season.

Nowhere Boy - Sunday 7th March 5pm

2010-03-04T22:05:00.002Z

We’re looking forward to Nowhere Boy on Sunday, getting back to our usual 5pm routine. As you probably know, it’s an account by artist-turned-film director Sam Taylor Wood of John Lennon turning from boy to Beatle and the two women in his early life (excellently played by Kristin Scott thomas and Anne-Marie Duff) who had such a profound effect on him. Peter Bradshaw calls it ‘A handsome film made with real flair.’

11th Keswick Film Festival 25-28th February

2010-02-24T22:13:00.003Z

There are nearly 40 films on offer from Thursday as the 11th Keswick Film Festival takes over the Alhambra and Theatre By The Lake. It all starts at 6:30pm with an opening party for pass holders followed by the first film, The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner at 7:30pm. Other highlights include the films of guests Jan Dunn (Gypo, The Calling) and Tony Grisoni (The Unloved, Tideland, Brothers Of The Head) with Q&As, the 2nd Cumbrian Short Film Awards and live musical accompaniment to My Best Girl.

For full details visit the Festival Website.

Barry Lyndon - Sunday 21st February 4.00pm

2010-02-20T09:26:00.002Z

We're pleased to be able to offer you the very rare chance to see Stanley Kubrick's version of William Makepeace Thackeray's Barry Lyndon on the big screen at the slightly earlier time of 4pm.

Unfortunately Neil Sinyard (Emeritus Professor of Film Studies at Hull University) can no longer make it to Keswick but he has very kindly written his introduction to the film and we'll be hearing it at 4pm on Sunday.

The Times, Sunday Times, Independent and Time Out all give it 5 stars out of 5, and we rather like the Village Voice critic's summary: 'Stanley Kubrick's magisterial Thackeray adaptation now stands as one of his greatest and most savagely ironic films, not to mention one of the few period pieces on celluloid so transporting that it seems to predate the invention of cameras... The film's greatness can make a viewer feel like a speck in the cosmos.'

Tulpan - Sunday 7th February 5:00 PM

2010-02-12T08:28:00.001Z

Are you looking forward to Tulpan on Sunday? To transport yourselves away from Cumbria to the Kazakh Steppe and see the winner of (amongst many other Festival awards) the BFI’s Sutherland Trophy at the London IFF, and ‘Un Certain Regard’ at Cannes 2008, made by Kazakhstan-born, documentary filmmaker Sergey Dvortsevoy. Top reviewer Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: ‘I swear to you that if you live in a place where this film is playing, it is the best film in town. You'll enjoy it, not soon forget it, and you’ll tell your friends about it and try to persuade them to go… there has to come a time in everyone’s life when they see a deadpan comedy about the yurt dwellers of Kazakhstan.’ And, as reported in your brochure, Peter Bradshaw calls it ‘eminently lovable’. A fair chance of it being watchable then...

Sin Nombre - Sunday 7th February 5:00 PM

2010-02-04T21:56:00.002Z

Very popular on the ‘arthouse’ circuit following its UK release last August, the Edinburgh Filmhouse programme excitedly describes it thus: ‘Winner of the New Director’s Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival, this debut feature from Cary Fukunaga is must-see cinema. Crammed with beautiful moments, this evocative story of immigrants leaving South America for a better life in the States is simply unmissable. Vivid, unforgettable storytelling which grounds you in reality and hope, it’s the story of Casper, a former teenage gang member on the run from his former gangmates, and Sayra, who’s dreaming of being reunited with her father in a better life in America, as they ride the railways north. You owe it to yourself to see what is undoubtedly one of the greatest films of 2009.’ Others talk about it being a very good film, but ‘a hard watch’ – you have to be prepared to take a bit of (justified) violence with your beautiful moments, it seems...

Goodbye Solo - Sunday 31st January 5pm

2010-01-31T11:38:00.000Z

Goodbye Solo is our only American film of the spring season, so we picked the best, naturally (if you listen to the most eminent critics, like Roger Ebert and A.O.Scott of the NY Times). Winner of many prizes on the international film festival circuit, the film attracts extraordinary tributes: Scott ends his review by describing the 'exquisite attention, wry humor and wide-awake intelligence that informs every frame of this almost perfect film.' Add in the Peter Bradshaw and Roger Ebert quotes in your brochure, and you won't be able to resist turning out on a cold Sunday evening

Birdwatchers - Sunday 24th January 5pm

2010-01-21T19:36:00.002Z

This Sunday we have something entirely different for you: moving away from French beaches we find ourselves in BirdWatchers transported to Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul. The rainforest - or what is supposed to be the rainforest. Here, the farmers lead a wealthy and leisurely existence: they own huge fields with transgenic plantations and they spend their nights with tourists who come bird watching. Meanwhile, at the borders of their lands, the restlessness of the natives, who were the legitimate inhabitants of those lands, is rapidly growing. A group of indigenous Gurani-Kaiowam are tired of being penned into tribal reservations and decide to take back their ancestral land.

The Beaches of Agnès - Sunday 17th January 5pm

2010-01-16T17:40:00.002Z

Some of you might be wondering about the pros and cons of The Beaches of Agnès, an autobiographical documentary about a filmmaker you may seldom have encountered. If you need some convincing it scores 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and that weight of critical opinion seldom runs counter to our audiences’ opinions. You’ll find a plethora of adjectives describing Varda’s work: ‘puckish, moving and wonderfully eccentric; deftly assembled, wry and touching, an endearing, indomitable spirit; witty and engaging; touching, highly whimsical; touching, eloquent reflections on life in general; poignant and illuminating; delightful, charming, idiosyncratic, wonderful, warm, witty and insightful’

KFC 2010. Happy New Year!

2010-01-07T23:35:00.001Z

I guess you won’t need a reminder that your midwinter film fast is almost at an end, and that we start again for the spring (!) on Sunday with Bright Star. And before the film, from 4.15pm, there will be the now-traditional drinks to start off our journey into cinematic heaven. If you like the look of the programme, and can get to most of the films, you can save yourself lots of course by buying a spring pass.

If for some reason you don’t like it, never mind, you won’t have wasted your money because we’re handing over all the proceeds for this screening to the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund – something you might like to mention to your friends who don’t usually come to our shows.

Merry Christmas from KFC

2009-12-20T17:05:00.000Z

It's time for our short break for the holidays but we'll be back on January 10th with Jane Campion's Bright Things starting off the Spring Programme. You can find details of all the spring films here on the website, some highlights include Goodbye Solo, The White Ribbon, Un Prophète and of course the 11th Keswick Film Festival.

Joyeux Noel - Sunday 20th December 5pm

2009-12-18T09:05:00.003Z

We picked Joyeux Noel out for our Christmas spot from the most likely ‘not-overdone-on-TV’ contenders, as being a film with some suitably uplifting content for the time of year (but some grimness too, as you’d expect on the front line in 1914) and a good story based on what actually happened almost exactly 95 years ago. It’s not a brand-new film (made in 2005) but a good one, which didn’t deserve to be overlooked back then. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Film in a Foreign Language but it was beaten to the award by Tsotsi. When it came out, Joyeux Noel was called by the Time Out critic of the day: ‘a respectful, sobering tribute to the flickering of humanitarian spirit amid the darkest days of conflict and, as such, surely a Christmas film for the ages.’ Come and see what you think, if you’re not too busy on Sunday…

Fish Tank - Sunday 13th December 5pm

2009-12-10T20:24:00.002Z

Our penultimate film of the year is Fish Tank, directed by Andrea Arnold (Red Road) and starring newcomer Katie Jarvis as 15-year-old Mia, the film was the winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes. Since Cannes, of course the film has done very well in the BIFA Awards: 'Arnold scooped Best Director as well as Katie Jarvis picking up MostPromising Newcomer for her central performance.'

Wonderful Town - Sunday 6th December 5pm

2009-12-04T08:09:00.002Z

Wonderful Town was Sight & Sound's Film of the Month in April, and your chance to see it comes up on Sunday. The magazine's review, by Tony Rayns, forms the bulk of our film notes - but you might prefer to avoid 'spoilers' by reading them later. You're safe, though, to read the description in the brochure. Suffice it to say that Rayns pays tribute to an 'excellent, poetic, and engrossing' debut from the Thai director Aditya Assarat.

Broken Embraces - Sunday 29th November 5pm

2009-11-27T19:09:00.002Z

The audience last Sunday was much better than we expected in the circumstances, and I hope that means that most of you will have no trouble in getting to Broken Embraces on Sunday. It’s the latest Pedro Almodovar film of course (you remember Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Volver, Talk to Her, Bad Education) whose main two protagonists – director Almodovar and star Penelope Cruz feature on the cover of our autumn brochure.

35 Shots Of Rum - Sunday 22nd November 5pm

2009-11-19T21:06:00.003Z

Looking ahead to Sunday, it’s good to be able to preview another of Claire Denis’s works: people were pretty impressed by Beau Travail when we screened it in spring 2001, and 35 Shots of Rum (35 rhums) is generally thought to be her best since then. 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and here’s one more, typical, quote – this time from the Times lady: ‘The magic of Claire Denis’s exquisite 35 Shots of Rum is that although so much is left unsaid, it’s one of the most emotionally eloquent films you’ll see this year.’ Oh, and it’s French!

Ken Russell Weekend

2009-11-19T21:00:00.003Z

Thanks to everyone who came and supported our Ken Russell weekend. Ken warmed to the task as the weekend progressed, and having sat through all 3 of his films, his reaction was that The Devils confirmed itself in his mind as the best film he’d made; he was quietly pleased with Song of Summer: looking at it again after a very long gap brought back fond memories of the cast; and, 20 years after he’d last seen Mahler, he seemed quite impressed with what a good film he’d made – it must have gone up a notch or two in his opinion of his best work. The conversation with Derek Malcolm flowed well too, Derek’s knowledgeable interjections and questions enticing out a good deal of amusing and interesting anecdotes.

The Grocer's Son - Sunday 8th November 5pm

2009-11-05T20:17:00.003Z

The Grocer’s Son (Le fils de l’épicier) should certainly appeal to all those who have enjoyed sampling or observing life in the French provinces, particularly Provence, and if you admire landscapes you will enjoy the looming presence of le Mont Sainte Victoire, Cézanne’s favourite subject, of course. But even if those pleasures have thus far escaped you, there’s a general consensus amongst the critics that it’s a well-made, well-acted and intriguing story depicting family tensions, the psychological development of the young protagonists, fascinating and amusing rustic characters – and what you can buy from a French grocery van!

Katyn - Sunday 1st November 5pm

2009-10-29T19:04:00.001Z

You'll probably have heard quite a lot about Katyn, next Sunday's film, already. Taking its name from the forest in which a terrible massacre of Polish officers took place during the Second World War, it's celebrated director Andrezj Wajda's homage to his father and father's fellow officers who were murdered at the time, his desire to set the record of history straight, and his ambition to craft a beautifully-shot drama to entertain an intelligent audience.

Fugitive Pieces - Sunday 25th October 5pm

2009-10-22T21:51:00.001+01:00

Fugitive Pieces coming up on Sunday: our highly-literate membership seems to be well aware of the novel by Anne Michaels on which it's based - a prose-poem of a novel, they said. How to do poetry on the screen? Well, voice-overs is one answer, but come and see how successful you think
Canadian Jeremy Podeswa has been. Beautiful musical score, exceptional views of Greece, etc., etc...

Cherry Blossoms - Sunday 18th October 5pm

2009-10-15T22:26:00.002+01:00

Cherry Blossoms is an intriguing prospect: some of the weightier critics, realising that the director was paying tribute to Ozu’s Tokyo Story were slightly constrained in their praise when comparing the 2008 German story to the Japanese master’s work. But even they seemed impressed by Dorrie’s handling of the family relationships (yes, again!) and the development of the major character following the move from Germany to Japan. So 84% on ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ is a fair accolade. If you’d like to read more than you can find in the KFC brochure, notes are available on the film page – just don’t read Philip French’s piece if you want to avoid spoilers. But be assured that he liked it: ‘A quiet, very beautiful film about the duality of love and death.’

Everlasting Moments - Sunday 11th October 5pm

2009-10-08T21:34:00.002+01:00

Philip French, whom, you've probably realised by now, is one of our most trusted critics, gives Everlasting Moments a glowing review, which will stand as our film notes. In case you don't have time to read French's review, here a few snippets:

Everlasting Moments is a true masterpiece...There are wonderful moments in this beautiful, tender,truthful film...The acting all around is of the highest order and Maria Heiskanen's magnificent performance as Maria is a portrait of human goodness and decency, utterly lacking in sentimentality, sanctimony or self-conscious martyrdom.

sleep furiously - Sunday 4th October 5pm

2009-10-02T09:04:00.002+01:00

Coming up for your delectation this Sunday, we have sleep furiously. The title is a quotation from Noam Chomsky, who in support of his linguistic theories offered "Colourless green ideas sleep furiously" as an example of a sentence that is nonsensical even though the grammar is perfectly correct. Why director Gideon Koppel chooses it is not so clear! To convince you that you really ought to come and see this film, you should the whole of the excellent review from Sight and Sound but you probably haven't got time to do that, so here is the the beginning and the end to whet your appetite:

'As an honest and moving portrait of a year in the life of a small rural community in mid Wales, Gideon Koppel's charming and naturalistic film beats its inspiration Dylan Thomas hands down, says John Banville.'

'Now more than ever we need films such as this: grave, measured, subtly comic and beautifully wrought, free of polemic and yet offering a new way of seeing that is as old as Arcady. sleep furiously is, simply, a masterpiece.'