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Best New Society: Heartland Film Society
Applications were considered from those societies - in their first or perhaps second year of effective operation - that having grown from nothing offered a wide selection of films and providesd excellent service to members. In addition, they may have a novel concept or be transcending some obstacle
4 Societies were short listed namely: Film@thePound, Heartland Film Society, Highgate Film Society and Oxen Park Cinema Club
As before the judges found this category very difficult to determine as all entries were outstanding - but all in different ways.
The winner is based in a small rural town that provides the hub for the surrounding communities, but has no cinema. The society's objectives were not only to bring cinema to the people (as I said earlier arising out of community need) but to major on national / indigenuous film-making. Now in its second year, the society has organised themed screenings, linked to food and a local Music and World Cinema Festivals for example, has also organised 'Meet the Screewriter' evenings and provides Saturday afternoon screenings for children.
It does not forget the social and even though it does not have a bar runs an innovative scheme of pre-ordered after-screening drinks - with the co-operation of a local pub! They have a good relationship with local business (for prizes) and the press (with members providing film reviews) and provides support and outreach services to fledgling film societies. It runs an evaluation of each film using a patented piece of design technology, that uses beans and a plastic cup and delivers an interesting and varied programme and excellent printed matter. Two audience quotes received by our winner describe its success - but also defines what film societies are about:
"What I really like is the sound of laughter all together….You don't get that in front of the TV" and "It reminds me of when we had a cinema."
I would say to that person you still do have a cinema and a good one!
Best Marketing: Winchester Film Society
Marketing is vital to the development and sustaining of a healthy membership base and we consider it important to encourage this aspect of societies' work and recognise and publicise examples of best practise. Applicants were asked to demonstrate originality and enterprise in getting across their message. Using stimulating concepts or novel techniques it would be attracting new members and then retaining and informing them.
3 Societies were short listed namely: Edinburgh University Film Society, Exeter CinSoc and Winchester Film Society .
The two university societies showed different approaches to marketing to essentially the same audience.
Our winners understood that the best Marketing is tailored to their customers. They produced pens. 7,000 brochures, 10,000 postcards advertising their website, issue a press release after every film, make a 1,000 name weekly email posting, attend local events and Freshers fairs, produce Posters, flyers and t-shirts. The judges were particularly taken with one innovation producing diary stickers for each film and date - to stick straight in your diary. These measures have achieved an audience growth of 70%!
Best Website: Jersey Film Society
In this 'Internet Age', the transmission of information is no longer the exclusive domain of posters, leaflets and programme notes. This new award has been instigated to recognise the film society that makes the best use of the World Wide Web to communicate with members and non-members alike. The type of sites operated by film societies varies enormously from the all singing all dancing sponsored sites operated by some, to the self-generated simple sites operated by many. The judges considered accessibility, usability (navigation), clarity and adherence to standards in support of these aims. The quality of design - the 'knobs and whistles' - was only considered as a secondary element in the assessment.
There were some excellent entries for this category - all offering slightly different things. The judges adopted a set of criteria against which all were scored but admit that finally overall, theirs was a subjective opinion. The judges were disappointed to see how few site actually referred to the societies membership of BFFS-Cinema for All - and how few used the logo. .
In addition to the above the judges looked to see whether the site provided general information about itself with contact details and details of membership and how to join. Did it have a copy of the current programme, did it provide film notes, an archive, was it up to date and did it have a map or directions showing how to get to the venue? What sort of links did it have, did it use images and lastly what was it overall appearance and feel.
7 Societies were short listed: Bracknell Film Society, Edinburgh University Film Society, Jersey Film Society, Ipswich Film Society, McGuffin Film Society, Oxen Park Film Society and Winchester Film Society. (Check our links pages.)
Our winner did all of these things (admittedly as did most of the shortlist) - but its site is amazing. Very colourful, packed tight with features, reviews, archives, quizzes, humour and lots and lots of other stuff. If anything it almost leads to electronic indigestion - and never getting any work done - whilst you browse its 600 pages, almost 500 pictures and its 56-year archive. It includes a very interesting section on how film society selection works, the behind the scenes skulduggery and corruption, what films didn't make it and why. Its general appearance was considered excellent, if a tendency to being over the top.
Best Programme of Films : Keswick Film Club
The programme is the heart of what we as film societies do. Without a decent selection of films we will not succeed. Many societies offer a wide variety of interesting programming. Applicants were asked to demonstrate that they were delivering a premium selection of films. The programme would have breadth, intelligence and freshness and would offer its members both choice and quality.
The judges found this category very difficult, as the general quality of film programming is very high - with societies not just limiting themselves to the Judi Dench canon (good though it is) but showing originality and risk.
There were 13 entries in this category and 7 were short listed: Bracknell Film Society, Club Film Sky, Edinburgh University, Highgate Film Society, Keswick Film Club, Real Institute and Welwyn Garden City.
Despite being an essentially rural society - our winner provides a wide and
varied programme that seeks to mix obvious crowd pleasers, classics, rarities,
local connections and the frankly eccentric! Its programme includes Cat
People, The Leopard, Donnie Darko, Chiwaeson, Crimson Gold, themed seasons
- Stephen Frears- Buried Treasure (with the director present) where it showed
the rarely seen Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry. The society has
a strong commitment to world cinema with over half its programme being foreign
language. In addition to its normal programme it runs special Sunday screenings,
provides outreach work and free talks and interviews. It also operates a
very successful film festival.
Best Programme Notes: Bracknell Film Society
The interpretational and educational aspect of cinema - which provides access in the wider sense (and hopefully some entertainment), is a vital part of the film society experience. Applicants were asked to demonstrate that time and effort were put into providing literate, accurate and accessible information, whether produced as handouts, glossy brochure or using the new technologies. The judges were looking for something beyond what could be described as a brochure note. Although the standards were high, the judges would ask societies to consider the increased use of colour, with better images and text layout. The absence of images spoiled some otherwise good notes.
5 Societies were short listed: Bracknell Film Society, Heartland Film Society, Highgate Film Society, Ipswich Film Society and Winchester Film Society .
The winner's notes, which are a mixture of original notes by the members
themselves and extracts from the Internet, interviews, comments about previous
screenings and bar room gossip (!) are relevant and topical. With the use
of crisp, well chosen images they provide a good and often witty read. Finances
permitting, the judges considered that the winner's notes would benefit from
the use of colour.
Best Student Society: Cinsoc (Exeter University)
Applications were invited from societies based at, or run by or for students of an educational establishment. The winner would be required to demonstrate that not only did it characterise the best qualities of the film society movement but also provided for the needs of its members.
An enormous amount of work is done by student film societies, principally in universities - for many people their University Society is/was their first introduction to 'proper' cinema'. Indeed it is difficult to find someone in the film industry today - whether film makers or funders - who were not members of University Film Societies. The sheer size of most University programmes is overwhelming - 40/50 films a term not being unusual. There is a tendency however in many student programmes to play safe - Alien weekends (or back to back Matrix - or should that be Matrices?) and horror films. However, the judges were pleased to see that there were many Student societies that did take risks and programme unusual films, films that require thought - not something that students want to do too much of!
All entries were of a very high standard and demonstrated all the qualities that the judges sought. There were no school society entries this year.
3 Societies were short listed: Edinburgh University Film Society, Exeter CinSoc and York Student Cinema.
Our winner received a Disntinction last year and its continuing commitment to quality is not doubted. It provides the usual mix of Hollywood/Mainstream with the more difficult. Its primary focus is - in its own words - "… showing a wide range of relatively obscure films that have either not been shown" locally "or were only shown for a few days…(thereby) …broadening the choice…"of the students.
It got heavily involved in the local Animation Festival and achieved sell-out
audiences, with necessary repeat screenings, for City of God, Bowling
for Columbine and The Rules of Attraction. It staged a successful
Moodysson retrospective and showed obscure movies like Stone's
Commandante. Notwithstanding the fact that its audience has made it plain
that they don't want to see re-runs and classics, our winner hasn't given
up hope and continues to programme them anyway!
Community Award: Film @ The Pound (Corsham)
All film societies grow from, serve and are a vital part of their community. This new award seeks to recognise something special - something over and above the standard. It was suggested that the winning society would provide exemplary service to its community, by for example celebrating its own community's cultural diversity, provide for specific identified needs, community or outreach projects or work directly with particular sections such as schools or elderly or disabled people. However, this was not criteria just suggestions and the individual entries provided a wide range of different types of community involvement and support.
3 Societies were short listed: * Film@the Pound, Heartland Film Society and McGuffin Film Society
Each provided something extra - but something different. The judges again found this very difficult - not being able to compare absolutely like with like.
Our winner, a recently established film society, resolved to run a film festival
- not all that original - but to run it as an outreach project. The festival
took place in a variety of venues that reflected the films being shown,
Russian Ark was screened in the elegance of the ballroom of the local
stately home, The Sacrifice in the austere elegance of the parish
church for example. Playing to capacity or near capacity audiences, they
brought a range of quality films from around the world to a wider audience
than just their members or their local community - which included a significant
number of young people under 20.
Film Society of the Year: Reel People (Kilmersdon)
The criteria used by the judges to select the winner were that it would be "vigorous and dynamic in providing all of the qualities outlined for the individual categories, the winner will show matchless customer service, creativity or progression in unfavourable circumstances."
Our winner is truly rural film society - based in a village with a total population of 350. Its audience is primarily drawn from the surrounding villages and small towns. Its application for the award was one of the best and certainly one of the biggest ever received - being over 12 x18 in size and over 10 pounds in weight! And what a nice ribbon!
Aiming to provide variety, breadth and diversity in its programming as well as challenge its audience with something other than the mainstream, the society claims to have developed film awareness and education - they report that post film conversations now run along the lines of "Is the man in the red track suit Donnie Dark in the future?" - rather than "Have you seen the size of those leeks!"
Half the programme is foreign language. Our winner is also one those who do food & film evenings - in many ways they developed the idea to its current pitch - including specially cooked African food to go with Abouna. It runs a mini-season of films for children and runs book-stall at its screenings - "Now you've seen the film - read the book!" It produces outstanding publicity materials and film notes (with lots of full colour images) - designed with the visually impaired in mind.
It has developed the idea of film notes - to a pre-screen Powerpoint Presentation and linked talks. It has excellent communication with its members, a good website and does significant outreach and development work.
Our winner is a previous award winner, once as Best New Society and twice as Best Marketing, but it has continued to make progress and achieve excellence in everything it does. But above all has never forgotten to remember that is must be FUN! The winner claims it has 'grown up' - the judges are not so sure - but are happy to recognise the society's achievements 'as adults'.
The society's leader, Barry Fowler said:
" We were absolutely thrilled to win FSOTY for a second time and hope that we demonstrated to the judges just how much of a springboard winning an award can be. Our first award inspired us and our members so much and it also gave us the profile and confidence to apply for grants for our own equipment. This time we feel we have the won the awards as adults and I know just how much it will mean to our committee and members - we have lots of new members who weren't around last time! "
The Roebuck Cup: Peter Cargin
The Management Committee gives this award to an individual who - in their opinion - has provided stalwart service and support to the film society movement over very many years. Our winner is someone who has not only served the film society movement in a variety of capacities on a professional basis for over 25/30 years, but whose love of cinema made him dedicate himself to the film society movement both in the UK and internationally for over 40 years.
Encouraged by his mother to visit local cinemas at an early age and then inspired to widen his interest, he joined his local film society in the mid-50s; and following a trip to Paris and experiencing the films its cinemas had to offer, he was hooked. Back in London he became a regular visitor to the NFT and attended an early LFF. Although not intending to get involved with film professionally (he had a "safe, secure job in life assurance"), he found himself writing pieces for the Belgian Federation of Socialist Film Societies. It was whilst attending the first University of London Extra Mural Classes in the History and Appreciation of Cinema that he met a teacher who would later become the bfi's Film Society Liasion Officer.
Together with others they participated in the setting up of the Richmond Film Society with which he was actively involved for about 15 years. He was drawn into the sphere of the BFFS when he was asked to assist with FILM Magazine. At the time the bfi were keen to support film exhibition and subsequently he received a call from John Chittock, the then Chairman of BFFS, asking him to work full time on FILM and other work for the film society movement. He decided to take the plunge and stayed with the bfi in the Film Exhibition department from 1973 until he was made redundant in 1997.
He continued to support the movement and in 1999 he was elected Chairman of the newly re-structured Federation, a post he held for three years. He has also played an important role in the International Film Society movement over a long period, standing down as vice-President last year. He said that he just wanted to watch and enjoy films. He is currently a vice-President of BFFS and is there to help in any way possible and is secretary of Fipresci (the film critics group) in London.
He has helped to open the eyes of others to the widest range of what film has to offer.
Many communities have lost their cinema (some indeed never had one) and with some exceptions, the new multiplexes being built do not extend the range of cinema experience. Indeed, research has shown that these screens rarely move beyond the Hollywood mainstream. Most of the interesting films that are reviewed in the press will never be shown outside London. Moreover, with only 40 (what used to be called) Regional Film Theatres (RFT) in the UK there is little opportunity to see those that do escape the metropolis. Therefore, it is the member societies of BFFS who provide the bulk of the access to cultural cinema - indeed often the only access to any sort of cinema.
Film societies form an affiliated 'chain' of some 200 occasional cinemas. They have a combined UK membership of over 27,000 showing something like 3,600 films per year to a combined total audience over 1 million, generating revenue of over £3m.
The film society movement is now almost 80 years old and we at BFFS-Cinema for All are dedicated to not only maintaining the movement's long and honourable tradition - but to building on it in a coherent way. No longer do we just show the landmarks of cinema on murky prints in uncomfortable halls - we now seek to provide a 'quality cinema experience'. It may not be your Odeon multiplex etc - but it is comfortable - but above all it is LOCAL. The role of culture in social and community regeneration and cohesion is now a given - and cinema is the most popular art medium; the most accessible (intellectually and physically) bar none and film societies, growing as they do out of their communities in response to community need are truly participative arts. That is why it is important to recognise the important role of the film society and their importance to film culture.
Our movement may be almost an octogenarian - but it is still a very vigorous and virile one, indeed is still having children.
Some might say that the current growth in film societies is incredible - it isn't. What it is, is clear evidence of the failure of the commercial sector to engage with - indeed even be interested in - our audience. The digital revolution has clearly provided a stimulus to growth, but it is much more a reflection of the needs of the audience. Film societies (community cinemas - which is what they are) or whatever we come to call them in the future, arise out of and in response to community need, we work in a market area that no-one else can. It might not be profitable but it is there - and it is not insignificant - over 1 million a year and growing. Lets hope that the vitality of our sector, and its vital contribution to access to specialised film will soon be recognised and properly funded and supported.
Times change and we have changed with them - but we must continue to do so. We are in the process of changing our name to more properly reflect what we do and who we represent. However, I do believe that the time is right for an evaluation of who and what we are, how and where we do what we do. We will be involving you in that debate.
The volunteers in film societies - trading on 'sweat equity' - do sterling work across the UK and the Film Society of the Year Awards (the film society 'Oscars') seek not only to recognise the fine work that you do but encourage and showcase 'best practise'.
58 Entries in 2004
Entries were slightly down on last year - at 58 across all categories- with the overall quality being excellent and many entries being simply outstanding - and that is reflected in the winners. Indeed, it was difficult not to be impressed by some of the applications themselves. However, the judges had to put that to one side and look at what the society had actually done. However, and there is no other way to say this - some applications were frankly bad, they hadn't really tried. They did not set out their stall well, they did not sell themselves. It is no longer sufficient merely to put in the form with a programme and ask to be considered where appropriate - although (again) we still had a couple of this type of entries this year.
What was exceptional is now the standard.
The work now being done by film societies in and for their communities is consistently excellent - and often remarkable. And frankly to stand a chance against such competition applicants should approach the matter seriously and it does require some effort if you are to be successful.
Each year I have said that the job of the judges was particularly difficult - and I have to say the same this year - as you will see in the awards made. The continuing quality of the work that all these excellent entries attest to is extremely encouraging and an eloquent demonstration to our funders (if they needed to ask) of the contribution made by the voluntary sector - a contribution that is otherwise unique and certainly irreplaceable. I would like to thank the judges for their time and commitment in taking on this task (- particularly as they will - as always - remain nameless)
Although the job of the judges was difficult they would want it to be more difficult, because they believe that there are still many societies out there who are not putting themselves forward - "we're not the Best Film Society, that's not us etc etc". Well as the shortlisted and winning societies will testify, they probably thought the same thing …. Therefore, we know that there is a great deal of original and innovative work going on out there and we encourage you all to enter. If you don't enter you won't win.
Prizes
The winners receive (to keep) specially commissioned glass plaques from Catrin Jones, one of the UK's leading Architectural Glass Artists. Those who are otherwise commended receive certificates.
So to the Awards. We asked applicants to address themselves to specific criteria for each category. Applicants were asked to make separate applications for each award category entered. All the short listed societies put a great deal of work into their applications - and it paid off. The winners without exception had thought about their applications and had prepared and submitted excellent entries - they provide a model of how an application should be submitted.
- David Phillips, (CEO BFFS - Cinema for All)