Croydon Film Society

Just a very quick update.  Apologies - We had hoped that by the time you got the most recent newsletter the new website would be up and running.  Alas it is not so.  Nevertheless it should be any day now - we are in the hands of others, so cannot give a definite date.  In the meantime the current website will have any changes to programs or other items of importance but will not have any general information added.

Watch this space. Any day now we shall be announcing the program which is in the final stages of resolution.

NB: This program will begin at 7.15 pm

We hope you appreciated our very special guest Matthew Saville at last night’s screening of Noise.  We shall be putting together a brief summary of what he had to say for later publication.

A huge thank you to Matthew for coming out to the outer East to share his enthusiasm for his gripping film.

Our new website gives you the opportunity to comment on the films - write your own review - or anything else that takes your fancy. To comment on a film, go to the film’s page and leave a response. (Your email is safe with us - it will not be sent on or published.)  All comments are moderated so it might take a day or so for it to come up on screen. Or come along to the after screening discussion group, meet some new friends, share your views in a non-threatening atmosphere.

Basic information on all of the films in our 2008 schedule has now been posted to this site. For each film there are now links to the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) and Rotten Tomatoes film review indexes. If you wish to read reviews of the film then simply click one of these links and you will be rewarded with a huge choice of reviews. In addition both, particularly the IMDB will give you much more background information on each film.

Each film page also provides censorship ratings and running times as well as the name of the director and principal cast members. As the year progresses we shall also be adding links to official sites, trailers and links to interviews with the directors, as well as other matters of relevance to each individual film.

Please feel free to add your comments on films - just click the ‘responses’ button. All comments will be moderated by the webmaster.

Membership for 2008 is full.

Unless there is a drastic dropoff in screening attendances we shall be adhering to the 550 total membership so that all our members may be comfortably seated. We are instituting a waiting list but, realistically it is unlikely that this will mean you will be able to join CFS later in the year. This would only occur if any members withdrew or if screening attendances dropped off drastically, (they have not in previous years). However if you wish to be sent an application form for 2009 at the same time as current members, you may like to add your name to the waiting list. Phone 9870 5306.

Every year, I try to find a new tagline to unify the disparate films in the year’s program. This year I settled on the creative face of cinema - mostly because of a partial match with our initials (cfs) and the amazing range of expressive faces I had to choose from for our poster. As it happens a sub-heading might well have had something to do with children, as, by some strange quirk of fate, a very large number of our films this year feature children, or childhood in a very central way. And this is a topic to which we shall no doubt return as the year progresses.
In the meantime let me explain slightly the dual aspect of our tagline. All films have, of course, been created - even the bad ones. What I mean here though is that kind of film which expresses real creativity - something original, innovative and expertly executed. What Croydon Film Society (CFS) wishes to show you is this creative face - or aspect - of the movie industry. The second meaning of creative face lies in the art of the actor - the creative faces who bring the director’s vision to life. Here and there during the year I shall try to focus on different facets of this often maligned art, or particular actors. Our program features all kinds, from rank amateurs to highly paid Hollywood ‘stars’. Watch the faces, think about creativity and enjoy.