Young Hearts Run Free - Sunday 30th October 5pm

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

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)

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

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

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

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!