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The awards were presented by distinguished director Stephen Frears at a ceremony in The National Film Theatre on 6th March 1999. A judging team takes into account the location, competing facilities, history, energy and enthusiasm of societies in reaching its decision. See the judges comments.
CHELTENHAM - Film Society of the Year
DORCHESTER - The Price-Coopers Community Award of £1,000
IAN KERR Chairman of the Scottish Group BFFS - the Charles Roebuck Cup for services to the film society movement.
BATH UNIVERSITY - Best Student Film Society
SWINDON - Best Programme Notes
COVE & KILCREGGAN - won Best New Society
(Based on two villages on the shores of Loch Long / The Firth of Clyde.)
LETCHWORTH - Best Programme Award.
We were impressed by the general level of entries this year with many societies showing evidence of good solid work. Although the number of entries was on about par with recent years, we are sure that many societies are still hiding their efforts and results under a bushel and would encourage you all to enter. You never know but what you are doing probably deserves wider recognition. Our other comment relates to the fact that, as will be evidenced by the geographical spread of winning societies there was a strong regional factor, with again Scotland and the South West providing a heavy number of entries - we look to the Midlands, East and Wales to show evidence of their societies in the future.
Sadly the number of societies in schools has declined in recent years and again we have had no entries. This is an area which the BFFS will be concentrating on in the future, with hopefully the appointment of a member of staff with special responsibility for helping school societies get under way.
If schools are an important seeding ground for the future, students come a close second and it is wonderful to see such excellent work being undertaken term after term in university film societies. Don't forget that there is generally a complete change of personnel every three years in these societies - so to find entries denoting such high quality year after year from York, Edinburgh, Warwick, Manchester and Bradford is a mark of continuing efforts. One interesting comment from two of these societies indicates that more specialised programming is paying off among students. Our award winner this year however is a society that has undergone a virtual metamorphosis - membership risen from 35 to 626; they have quite rightly moved back to film from video; restructured their membership financially; introduced an electronic mailing list; carried out a full promotional effort, presented a wider range of films including shorts in their programme and still found time to play a extensive role both with other student societies and the regional group.
Finally they had a coup in getting Ken Loach to become their president - who made a plea in his foreword to the society's booklet "Please no eating during the performance"
Best Student Society - BUFS - UNIVERSITY OF BATH
Film societies have always aspired to be more than simply a cheap form of cinema and one important aspect to show this is by providing programme notes. These should aim at helping members to enjoy and understand the film more fully. Notes should be clear, concise, informative and attuned to their potential readers.
Students are not always the easiest audience to write for, but we would like to Highly Commend Edinburgh University, last year's winners for maintaining a high standard of polished and intelligent notes. This year's winners notes are less glossy in form but provide a succinct synopsis, followed by a comment on each film which provides both information and useful critical points.
The winner is Swindon Film Society
Britain is still 'under screened' and there are many areas of the country where no commercial cinema, yet alone a multiplex is going to be viable. If you are an hour's drive from the local cinema then the only way to see films on a big screen is of course to start a film society. From small beginnings, eight people meeting together in 1997, this society has by its second season worked very hard to obtain local, regional and national grants (yes an award from the National Lottery's Arts For All) which has meant that they now own their own projectors, stands and a screen. They chose a modest but judicious mixture of films to attract a wide range of members - ranging from Follow the Fleet to Ma vie en rose which has paid off with a good second season membership. Films are shown in an established venue, a Sailing Club with a bar ! They acknowledge great support from various local agencies in helping them to get going, and in particular the Scottish Group of the BFFS.
The winner is Cove and Kilcreggan
All else being equal, its the films that ultimately count. Many societies have continued to provide excellent programmes of films, fulfilling their remit to provide their community with an opportunity to see a range of cinema the commercial world does not want to, or sometimes cannot show.
Operating a film society with a 12 screen multiplex a mile away in one direction and an 8 screen multiplex the other takes some programming! In recent years we have noted this society and would again like to Highly Commend Swindon Film Society for their continued intelligent choice of films.
Our winning society also has local commercial competition, albeit on a more modest scale with a small three screen cinema in the town. With only a film a month there would be nothing wrong in plumping for the 'usual suspects', but the judges were struck by the eclectic choice of this society which nevertheless managed to cover examples of virtually the whole gamut of cinema - films by Hitchcock, Al Pacino, Gillies MacKinnon, Wenders, Patrice Leconte, Antonioni, Cedric Klapisch, Jacques Tourner, Olivier Assayas and Sandrine Veysset. (Buffs can perhaps guess the titles).
Our winner is Letchworth Film Society
A sum of up to £1000 has been donated by Price Coopers for a Community Award. Societies were asked to submit the outline of a scheme, with an emphasis on an educational content or involving young people. Two entries were notable - one from the Scottish Group of the BFFS to enable them to undertake another outreach programme to the Highlands and Islands - something they have already done with success. We only wish we had the money to support both schemes but as we couldn't the judges felt that the project from Dorchester Film Society to run an educational day on the theme "Black women - in Film and Literature ' at the local cinema for local secondary schools met the criteria more fully.
This award donated by and named in memory of a former Treasurer of the BFFS, is given to an individual who has over a period of time performed activities and undertaken work for the wider film society constituency. So whilst our winner has been chairman of a film society, an active member of his BFFS Group, the BFFS Constituency Council and Management Committee, he has also been instrumental in involving his society, group and his school in work in the community in both the local and national sense. He has worked to further partnerships between the film society movement and local government and arts organisations. But he has also been very much a hands-on practical person, providing projection expertise for his group, even working out of doors and lending support and equipment to societies to enable them to put on shows.
The Roebuck Cup goes to Ian Kerr.
This is the fiftieth Spring Viewing Sessions - a long time but not as long as some film societies have been in operation. Keeping a film society going and viable over such a period is an achievement in itself. So much has changed in the film world in that period of time. Our Film Society of the Year is such a society but as with many long established operation, had encountered many difficulties, ranging from venue, finance, membership and the inevitable sense of inertia just to keep going.
Operating on 16mm with nineteen commercial screens in town a falling membership it would have been easy to give in - but through new blood on the committee to supplement experienced one, a fresh approach, drive, initiative and lots of hard work this society has pulled itself round astonishingly - they increased their membership by 23%; improved their financial position to the tune of nearly £900; added an extra programme to the season; enjoyed the best reactions to their films and best support to their social activities.
Whilst maintaining traditional things such as reactions, comments to films, wine and cheese events, their promotion and publicity has embraced everything through poster displays through the town, newspaper and radio to delivery of publicity by bicycle on the one hand and the creation of their own web-site on the other.
Programme material is simple but elegant and their choice of films commendable, even including some shorts. Neither are they sitting back on their laurels, exploring video projection and the possibility of 35mm.
An inspirational entry by a society which has never entered for these awards before !
Film Society of the Year - Cheltenham
Judges: Peter Cargin, Dudley Smithers - BFFS Management Committee