Light Years + Q&A - Sunday 5th February 5pm

Esther Campbell's first feature film is the story of a dysfunctional family with a father who is sometimes present, a mother who is mentally ill and absent, and their three children who all appear to show signs of their mother's illness. The youngest may be the most stable as she goes in search of her mother.

We are lucky enough to have Esther with us as well. She will introduce Light Years and answer any questions you have afterwards.

The Fencer - Sunday 29th January 5pm

We are off to Eastern Europe this Sunday for The Fencer - a Finish film set in Estonia in the 1950s. On the run from the Soviet secret service in Leningrad, Endel takes a job as a PE teacher in far-flung Estonia. All is well for a while until the kids in his class are inspired enough by his teaching to want to take part in a competition in Leningrad... Both a suspense movie and ‘An affecting portrait of a decent man who risks his life to uphold a bond of trust with his students’ – Marilyn Ferdinand, Chicago Reader - this is based on a true story and the film was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Foreign Language film.

Our First Programme and 1000th Film

It was back in 1999 when we first welcomed people to "Cumbria's newest film society" and now we've reached our 1000th film screening. To celebrate this amazing feat, we've decided to show the first film again. We dug into our archives to find the very first programme and here it is:

So on Sunday 22nd we'll be showing Minnie Driver in The Governess. Were you there in 1999? Have you been coming along ever since? We'd love to hear from you and here's to another 1000 films.

Chocolat - Sunday 15th January 5pm

We have the welcome return of the hugely charismatic Omar Sy (remember Untouchable?) this Sunday at 5.00pm in Chocolat. The true story of a black immigrant into France in the late 19th century who became famous as a clown alongside an Englishman – George Footit (played here by James Thierée, the very recognisable grandson of Charlie Chaplin). Unfortunately, his fame was based on the stereotypical black fool, which drove him off the rails.

"A box office success, the film operates on many levels: as a family-friendly conversation-starter about racism in France, as an exploration of the history of taste and cultural appropriation, as a vehicle for Mr. Sy to flex his comic muscles and as a story about the hazards of success." – Rachel Donadio, New York Times