Category: Newsletters

ABCD NEWSLETTER February 2012

Thu Feb 9th: GOOD MORNING (Ohayô) – introduced by Alex Jacoby

This will be Alex’s third visit to introduce a Japanese film. GOOD MORNING, made in 1959, was based on similar material to that for Ozu’s earlier, silent, film I WAS BORN, BUT… which we shall be screening on March 15th. Is it a remake? Alex is aware that we are showing it and we hope that he will spend a little time introducing it as well. If you have Japanese acquaintances, they might like to know of these two screenings, which they would be very welcome to attend.

This programme will start at the usual time of 7.45.

Next season

The committee is set to begin its discussions on the 2012-3 season in mid-February. It’s always quite a long process, but all members’ suggestions are discussed. You can suggest any film title you like, any director, any genre, any period, in fact you can make any observations you like about the balance of films. To make it more concrete you could for instance say what for you has been positive and negative about our programme over the past twelve months. Use the reaction slips for this or, if your handwriting is on the large size, reach for an A4 sheet of paper or email us.

You can give us your ideas whenever you wish, but the earlier the better. Our annual members’ meeting will take place on May 24th, when you can hear how far we have got in the selection process (usually we are nearing its end of the process by this time) and say what you think of it.

ABCD in the Abingdon Arts Festival

The January newsletter contained detailed information about our involvement in the Festival. We will try not to repeat ourselves here, so if you have deleted it, you can retrieve it from the homepage at http://www.abfilms.org.uk [If you are reading this in the paper version, but have email you can also sign up for the e-version by clicking on “mailing list” on our website]. Festival brochures are now starting to be delivered and our tickets will be on sale to the public by 3rd February.

Many thanks for helping us by signing up to our events, as it helps us plan our publicity effort. STORMY WEATHER (March 22nd) is over half full; I WAS BORN (March 15th) has a respectable number and the venue is quite big; while GREAT WHITE SILENCE, with 32 names, is approaching a half full theatre.

We would like you to pay for your tickets in advance so that things run smoothly on the night. Remember that you will be saving £1 per ticket if you do. (No ticket needed on March 15th, if you are a member).

Reminder: February 16th – no film (half-term)

Next newsletter: end February / early March

ABCD NEWSLETTER January 2012

ABCD members’ briefing on films in the Abingdon Arts Festival

We are staging three events in this year’s festival and all are open to the general public. The festival brochure is planned to be delivered to all homes in Abingdon and several of the surrounding villages between Jan 30th and mid-February. Tickets to the general public will be available from the end of January and to members at our regular screenings from Jan 19th (we hope). The festival brochure should also be online in early February (www.abingdonartsfestival.org.uk). We also expect to have printed copies available at screenings soon after they have been printed.

Thu Mar 15th I WAS BORN, BUT This is our annual silent film and if you are an ABCD member you are entitled to see it at no no extra cost.

• This screening is at Saint Nicolas’ Church (Abingdon Market Place), starting at 7.30 pm.
• Members’ guests, as always, will be very welcome; their tickets will cost at £5, provided they are reserved in advance.
• Admission to non-members and members’ guests without a reservation will be £6 (£5 for the usual concessions).

Please indicate if you are likely to come to this screening, using the sign-up sheet that will be available from this Thursday or by emailing info@abfilms.org.uk. You can also use it to reserve guest tickets. It doesn’t matter if you or your guests don’t in fact turn up – we trust you not to put your name down flippantly, and perhaps to let us know if you change your plans.

Thu Mar 22nd STORMY WEATHER plus LIVE JAZZ WITH THE GEORGE HASLAM TRIO

STORMY WEATHER (USA 1943, 78 mins), is a classic musical featuring the legendary performers, Lena Horne, Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, Slam Stewart, Benny Carter and tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. “The movie was a splendid showcase for African-American talent”. (www.jazzstandards.com ).

GEORGE HASLAM, saxophones, STEVE KERSHAW, bass, and JEZ COOK, guitar, provide the live music before and after the film. Guardian writer John Fordham described George as “a fine baritone saxophonist with a distinct signature” and “an entire jazz scene on his own”.

• This event is NOT in the annual programme; everybody has to pay, but ABCD members pay the concessionary price of £7, provided they reserve in advance (full price £8). Sign-up sheets as above.
• The show starts at 7.30pm, ending at 10.30pm and takes place in the King Charles Room, upstairs at The King’s Head and Bell, in East Saint Helen’s Street.
• We expect this event to be well supported, so it is important that ticket holders arrive in good time, so that we know we can sell tickets for empty seats. The venue is not large and the event is tightly budgeted

Thu Mar 29th THE GREAT WHITE SILENCE
This is the feature length documentary based on the footage shot by the South Pole expedition’s official photographer (appointed and much admired by Scott), H. G. Ponting. Recently restored by the BFI National Archive, it is “silent” with a new soundtrack by Simon Fisher Turner. (see also “Additional Events” in the annual brochure).

• This screening, which will begin at 7.45pm and be shown in the College Lecture Theatre, is also NOT in the annual programme. ABCD members need only pay the concessionary rate of £5 (also applies to members’ guests), provided they reserve in advance (full price £6). Sign-up sheets will be available.

The next newsletter will appear in early February.

Happy New Year!

This week’s film: THE RETURN (12A) Thursday Dec 8th

John Riley introduces our film this week, with a start time of 7.30 pm.

Christmas Film: MY MAN GODFREY (U) Thursday Dec 15th

As usual with the last screening of the year we have a little seasonal celebration to go with the film. The following times are approximate, but give an idea of the shape of the evening:

• 7.15 Refreshments Part I
• 7.45 Film
• 9.15 Refreshments Part II

As for drinks, we don’t have a licence, but you are very welcome to bring your own wine, beer etc. We will provide wine glasses, fruit juices and bottled water.

There will also be bread, cheese and sweet items etc, but feel free to “bring & share” items if you wish. If you do, could you let us know the week before or by email (by Dec 12th), as this will help with the shopping.

There will be a collection to cover our costs on the night.

ABCD on Twitter

The committee’s publicity group has opened a Twitter account for ABCD. We expect this to result in more people in and around Abingdon knowing of our existence. Our tweets, initially at least, are likely to be very basic, informing people what’s on in the current week, for example. They will include where possible links to extracts from the films, which may be of interest to existing members when deciding whether to invite along a guest. What members can also do is tell their tweeting acquaintances that they can “Follow us on Twitter (@ABCDFilmSoc)”. This formulation should appear in our entries in the Abingdon Arts Festival brochure due out in February.

ABCD in the Abingdon Arts Festival

There will be three ABCD screenings in the 2012 festival. One (March 15th) is included in your membership – nothing extra to pay. The other two (March 22 and 29) are extra, but members will gain admission at the concessionary rate.

Full details in the next newsletter, which we plan to publish in the second week of January.

First film of 2012: Thursday Jan 5th

THE SCARLET EMPRESS (12A), starring Marlene Dietrich, at normal time of 7.45 pm.

Happy Christmas – the ABCD committee

Annual General Meeting Thursday Nov 17th at 7.30 pm

The key points will of course be the officers’ annual reports and the election of the new committee. There are definitely committee vacancies and it is important we fill them, as there is always work to be done and we can only benefit from the fresh perspectives that new members can offer. So please consider letting, or even putting, your name go forward. If the committee withers, so will the society.

We hope to complete the meeting within about 25 minutes and to start the film, A Screaming Man, by about 8pm.

Special Event: THE RETURN Thursday Dec 8th at 7.30 pm

John Riley will be visiting again to introduce a Russian film. Please note the earlier than usual start time.

Choose Abingdon Events Calendar

This facility has just become available and we have started to post our events on it. We would ask you to to the following:

• Use it
• Tell others about it so that they use it (and tell other others about it)
• If you are a member of other clubs and societies in Abingdon, try to ensure that their events are posted here

Why? Because it’s in our interest that the site is well used – and it won’t be if it doesn’t have most Abingdon events on it. Choose Abingdon is funded by all three levels of local government and works hard on many fronts, including community activity. This events calendar deserves and needs to succeed. Go to: www.chooseabingdon.co.uk .

Our Own Website – a Reminder

There’s lots of information on the ABCD website, including audience reactions and comments and a listing of all the films we’ve shown since 1977.

Our Website and Internet Explorer 6

If you do not use the Internet you may skip this item. Feel free to skip too if you use Mozilla Firefox, Opera or Safari as your Web browser. If, however, you use Internet Explorer and may still be using Internet Explorer 6 (IE6, the 2001-2006 version), please read on.

For some years our website has been assembled using WordPress, which is free and ‘Open Source’ software originally developed for Internet bloggers but now widely used as a ‘content management system’ for websites. This has alowed many features to be included that would be more difficult by older methods, such as the website calendar and the database of past titles. Using WordPress, the whole website is a database and the webpages your browser displays are generated when your browser requests them. This all happens invisibly to the user, but this will not be so for IE6 users much longer. Over the summer, the website was rebuilt to operate under the penultimate release of WordPress. If we are not to let the software become out of date we must soon upgrade to the current version, and this does not support IE6. This means that the database commands will not work and users with IE6 will see nothing resembling the website at all.

The visitor logs of the website show that there are site users with IE6. If they include you, please upgrade to a newer version or an alternative browser. If your browser cannot be upgraded from IE6 (perhaps because of your company IT policy), please tell us by emailing webmaster@abfilms.org.uk

A Note on How We Get Our Films

First of all it’s seriously against the rules for us to simply buy a DVD and then simply screen it. We have to find out who holds the digital rights to a film we want to show. Usually this is quite straightforward – we agree a licence fee and that’s that. But in a small number of cases it’s quite hard to find out who to contact and very occasionally it proves impossible. Sometimes there is a dispute about who has the rights (some of Buñuel’s Mexican titles, for instance). Or ludicrous fees may be demanded. Thus we find we can book a large majority of the titles we would want to show, but not quite all. To return to the opening point above: It’s irrelevant that there’s a DVD of a given film – a retail distributor doesn’t usually have the right to license non-domestic screenings (i.e cinema and film society ones). However, we often buy the actual DVD, for operational reasons, in addition to paying for the licence.

Our next newsletter will appear in the first week of December.

NEW SEASON STARTS ON OCTOBER 6TH

The films have been booked, the programme brochure has been printed and you should have received your copy. So you should now know what films you can see this year and what special events are planned. Your committee thinks it’s another stimulating programme and the surest way for you to find out if you agree is, of course, to join. We hope you do!

Every year we need some new members, even though the rate of re-joining is always very high. Forgive us for stating the obvious, but for people to join, they need to know of our existence. Achieving this is not so easy without a very large publicity budget. So please help. The letter accompanying your brochure, as every year, invites you to pass a spare copy or two to friends or colleagues, or to pin one to a noticeboard; and to contact us if you would like more copies. Another good way of publicising us is to bring guests (a guest ticket is only £4). Please try to help in some way if you can.

Annual General Meeting on November 17th

This is an opportunity to find out about the running of ABCD film society, to elect a committee and to volunteer to help. If you are thinking of joining the committee, please approach a committee member to discuss this. You would be very welcome.

ABCD Screenings since 1977

Thus reads one of the menu options you can now select on our recently updated website. As you will see, we have have shown an awful lot of films over those 34 years and many thanks are due to our chairman, Martin, for typing them all in. The list of films can be sorted by title and director, and there is also a search facility.

A Couple of Reminders:

* October 20th: 7.30 start
* After the first three screenings: NO FILM ON OCTOBER 27 (half-term).

Bandes dessinées talk

Ann Miller, who will be introducing our 12th January film (Le Samourai), is giving a talk to Abingdon European Society on Saturday 17th September entitled ‘Bandes dessinées – the ninth art: comics as an art form in French-speaking countries’. The venue is St Helens Church Centre, 19:15 for 19:30. Members and students pay £5 at the door, while visitors pay £6. Refreshments included.

Choose Abingdon Partnership event

The ‘Choose Abingdon Partnership’ is celebrating its first anniversary with an exhibition in Hitching Court, Blacklands Way (in Abingdon Business Park) with “colourful and interactive” explanations of the Partnership’s projects. The exhibition runs from 30th September to 4th October between 11:30 and 14:30 daily except Sunday. Choose Abingdon loyalty cardholders can attend an evening celebration at the exhibition on 30th September. “Wine to taste and nibbles to try” will be offered along with information on new company partners and cardholder special offers, and also a prize competition.

About this newsletter

We plan to publish a newsletter about once a month. It will be mainly factual and reasonably concise.

FINAL REMINDER

SUMMER EVENT – SATURDAY JUNE 11th AT EAST HANNEY

Location: War Memorial Hall, Brookside, East Hanney

5.30pm Doors open

6.00 – 7.00pm Bring and share supper. The hall (not us) will be operating a cash bar. You can bring your own wine but there will be a surcharge of £2.00 per bottle. Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be provided without charge.

7.00pm (approx) Screening of THE CONCERT, dir. Radu Mihaileanu, France/Romania, 2009, 118 mins, sub-titles, Certificate 15.

Comedy about a Russian orchestra filling in at short notice at Le Châtelet in Paris, starring Aleksey Guskov, Dmitri Nazarov, Mélanie Laurent, François Berléand and Miou-Miou. “A certified crowd pleaser” – Anthony Quinn (The Independent)

9.00pm (approx) Coffee and informal discussion.

Admission: £6.00

It would be helpful if you could let us know whether you are planning to come to this event.

Contact info@abfilms.org.uk (or tel. 01235-522163 or 01235-521976)
Guests welcome

ABCD Film Society – www.abfilms.org.uk – info@abfilms.org.uk – 01235-522163
Registered Charity No. 292723

NEXT YEAR’S PROGRAMME OF FILMS & EVENTS
We have been deliberating since February on what to put into next year’s programme. At present we almost have a complete picture of what films we would like screen and of the speakers we would like to invite to introduce some of them. We can usually get most of them from the various distributors.

On Thursday (26th May) you are invited to hear what our current thinking is and to tell us what you think! This little meeting will take place at 7.30 pm in the Lecture Theatre at the College, in other words in the room where we show nearly all our films. All members are welcome. Refreshments will be provided.

SUMMER EVENT – SATURDAY JUNE 11TH IN EAST HANNEY
This is our annual summer event, designed to be convivial as well as cultural. Details:

Location War Memorial Hall, Brookside, East Hanney

• 5.30 pm – Doors open
• 6.00 – 7.00 pm – Partaking of food and drink – please bring food to share. The hall (not us) will be operating a cash bar. You can bring your own wine, but there will be a charge of £2.00 per bottle. Wine will also be available from the bar by the glass or bottle. Tea, coffee and soft drinks will be provided without charge.
• 7.00 pm (approx) – Screening of THE CONCERT, dir. Radu Mihaileanu, France, 2009, 119 minutes, sub-titles, Certificate 15. Comedy about a Russian orchestra filling in at short notice at Le Châtelet in Paris … “a certified crowd-pleaser” (Anthony Quinn, The Independent). Starring Akeksey Guskov, Dmitri Nazarov, Mélanie Laurent, François Berléand and Miou-Miou.
• 9.00 pm (approx) – Coffee and informal discussion.

Admission £6.00

It would be helpful if you let us know whether you are planning to come to this event, but not essential (info@abfilms.org.uk or 01235 522163 or 01235 521976). Guests welcome.

ABCD Film Society – www.abfilms.org.uk – info@abfilms.org.uk – 01235 522163
Registered Charity No. 292723

• Reminder: This Thursday (April 7th): THE SINGER (Quand j’étais chanteur), starring Gérard Depardieu, Cécile de France & Mathieu Almaric. Event jointly presented with the local Twinning Society (ADTTS); price includes a cheese and wine party – we provide the food and soft drinks but you bring your own alcoholic drinks.

  7.15pm: pre-screening nibbles – 7.40pm: film – 9.30pm wine & cheese

  Admission: £5.50

• Saturday June 11th – Summer Event at the War Memorial Hall, Brookside, East Hanney, OX12 0JL. Screening of the comedy drama, THE CONCERT.

  “The Concert does some pretty skilful tear-jerking, too. Its hero is a once-revered conductor (Aleksei Guskov) who was blacklisted when he got on the wrong side of Brezhnev 30 years ago. Now working as a cleaner in a Moscow theatre, he intercepts an invitation to the Bolshoi Orchestra to perform in Paris, and decides to pass off his own gaggle of washed-up musicians as the real thing. A rollicking farce gets under way but The Concert grows deeper and richer when it brings on a French violinist (Mélanie Laurent), the vengeful heroine of Inglourious Basterds), and reveals more and more of the characters’ hidden agendas and secret histories. It misjudges some of its multi-octave leaps between sentiment and silliness but it’s warm-hearted enough to leave you glowing.” Nicolas Barber, The Independent.

  TIMINGS

  5.30pm – Doors Open
  6.00pm – Eating and drinking: Please bring food to share. Tea, coffee, soft drinks will be provided but the Hall will be operating a cash bar. You can bring your own wine but it will be subject to a £2 per bottle corkage charge.
  7.00pm – Screening
  9.00pm – Coffee and informal discussion

  Admission: £6.00

• Members’ meeting on Thursday May 26th (7.30pm at the College). As for several years past, the Committee will present its thoughts so far on next year’s film programme and you will have a last-ditch chance to plead for the excision of some of the dross, and for the inclusion of your better ideas.
• Reminder: There are still Committee vacancies – we particularly need a new Secretary. Perhaps two people could share the job? Please get in touch to make an offer that can’t be refused or at least to find out more.

REMINDERS!

• March 17: THE KID BROTHER – 7.30 PM – SAINT NICOLAS’ CHURCH admission included in annual and current half-yearly subscription
• March 24: No screening
• March 26: THE SEA – 7.30 PM – SAINT NICOLAS’ CHURCH Our special extra event for the Abingdon Arts Festival – the classic John Grierson silent, DRIFTERS, accompanied by Wendy Hiscocks, followed by a selection of songs by various composers sung by opera singer Constance Novis (currently at La Scala, Milan), accompanied by Wendy. ABCD members need only pay the concessionary admission price of £8.50.
• March 31: MORRIS: A LIFE WITH BELLS ON Normal Thursday service resumes at the College with this screening, but please note that it will be very well attended so we cannot guarantee any further spaces for members’ guests.
• APRIL 7: THE SINGER (Quand j’étais chanteur), with Gérard Depardieu An additional event jointly presented with the local twinning society, and including a cheese and wine party where you provide your own alcoholic drinks. 7.15pm pre-screening nibbles – film at 7.40pm – 9.30pm wine & cheese – admission £5.50

HUNT THE SECRETARY
If you were at the recent screening of “Mother”, you will know that despite Chairman Martin’s best efforts, ABCD Film Society remains without a secretary; and you will have heard Martin say that this is not a sustainable situation, as it places an unfair extra burden on the committee and leaves us increasingly less well organised than we – and surely you – would like us to be. However, it’s quite possible that one or two members thought they might be interested in this post but either didn’t yet want to commit themselves or would like to know more about what would be involved in taking on the role. And of course not all members were at the screening.

We still hope very much that someone will come forward to discuss becoming secretary, with a view to our co-opting that person to the committee, pending another Special General Meeting. Perhaps two people may wish to share the job? (Probably only one could be secretary, the other could probably become a non-officer committee member acting as a deputy or assistant secretary – there are two non-officer committee member vacancies, remember.

Please give this your urgent consideration!

SUMMER EVENT
We are currently seeking to arrange our annual summer event. We plan it to take place in a village hall somewhere in the Vale on Saturday June 11th or 18th. The film, if available, will be THE CONCERT (Dir. Radu Mihaileanu, France, 2009). Last year’s equivalent event ran from 6pm to about 9.30pm, the evening beginning with a bring and share buffet; and, as a guideline, the cost was £5. Our summer events are always relaxed affairs and some attenders prefix the event with a pub lunch followed by a long walk. Details to be confirmed asap.

Reminders, updates and notes for your diaries:

ABINGDON ARTS FESTIVAL 17th March – 3rd April

THURSDAY 17st MARCH 7.30pm at Saint Nicolas’ Church’
‘The Kid Brother’ Harold Lloyd classic silent movie with live piano accompaniment by Andrew Youdell. (No extra charge for members).

SATURDAY 26st MARCH 7.30pm at St Nicolas’ Church: ‘The Sea’ Tickets: £10.50 [£8.50 concessions] An evening of film, music and song, please see Arts Festival brochure or go to www.abingdonartsfestival.org.uk. This is special event for the Arts Festival and we hope very much it will appeal to members.

THURSDAY 31st MARCH 7.45pm at Abingdon & Witney College
‘Morris: A Life With Bells On’ UK 2009 Dir: Lucy Akhurst. No extra charge for members, but please arrive by 7.30 pm to be sure of your seat.

ERRATUM IN PROGRAMME
Thursday 7th April Event with Abingdon Twin Towns Society to be held at ABINGDON & WITNEY COLLEGE at 7.30PM

‘Quand J’Etais Chanteur’ France 2006 Dir: Xavier Giannoli. More information below, including admission costs; please note this is an extra event.

VERY URGENT: COMMITTEE VACANCIES
SECRETARY – currently we have no secretary. This is really quite a difficult situation and is untenable in the medium and longer term. Secretary’s tasks: corresponding (typically by email) with e.g. the College, the Federation (the BFFS) and the Charities Commission (once a year normally), and taking minutes of the relatively few ‘business’ committee meetings.(See box below).

TREASURER [from AGM 2011]

HELP! Could you contribute any of your time to the running of the society? All members are welcome to attend committee meetings.

NOTICE OF SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING. This will take place at 7.30 on Thursday March 10th, prior to the screening of MOTHER. The sole business will be the election of an Hon. Secretary and three other (non-officer) members.

2011 /2012 SEASON
Your feedback is valuable to the society. Please submit your next season film suggestions before 1st March.

SUMMER EVENT
An event is planned in June. Details to follow re: film and location.

adtts & abcd film society present

on Thursday 7th April 2011
7.15pm – Abingdon College (Lecture Theatre)

THE SINGER
French title: Quand j’étais chanteur

Director: Xavier Giannoli (2006) (Cert 12) 110 miniutes, English sub-titles

Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Cécile de France, Mathieu Almaric

Admission: £5.50 (includes cheese and other non-alcoholic refreshments – please bring own wine)

Timings:
7.15 pre-screening nibbles
7.40 screening
9.30 (onwards) wine and cheese party

“Gerard Depardieu is brilliantly cast as provincial dance hall singer Alain Moreau in The Singer; a huge hit across the Channel. While crooning through his way through various classics at a club one night, Alain meets beautiful, troubled Marion (Cecile de France). When they fall into bed that night, a tentative, uneasy relationship starts to unfold, despite Marion’s initial reluctance. This is a subtle, always engaging love story with two brilliant performances at its heart” (BBC website)

“Depardieu is great as Alain, the ageing singer who has a strong local following, and plays in clubs and dance-halls to the over-40s single/divorcee crowd who need his sentimental tunes, even more than booze, to help break the ice. Alain also plays retirement homes, crooningly passing among the audience and gently stroking the cheeks of beaming old ladies, his CDs laid out on a trestle-table for purchase” – Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian.

registered charity number 292723