About Croydon Film Society
Croydon Film Society Inc. is a not-for-profit incorporated association run by a volunteer committee of management in Victoria, Australia.
Aims
- To encourage interest in film as an art form and as a medium of information and education by means of the exhibition of films of interest to members of the society.
- To promote the study and appreciation of films by means of publications, discussions, lectures, exhibitions and screening.
- Since 2012, Croydon Film Society has regularly presented an award to a promising film student. The 2021 recipient was Logan Davey, a second year Deakin University student showing significant talent.
Our Committee
The experienced and well-organised committee contribute to the smooth running of the society by participating in monthly meetings and assisting at the cinema door on a roster, whilst most also have some specific duties. A number of new committee members are sought each year at the Annual General Meeting, whilst other vacancies may occur from time-to-time. If you would like to assist CFS, please chat to one of the friendly committee members at the cinema, call 0490 663 156 or email enquiries@croydonfilms.org.au.
President
Growing up, the favourite film of his family was ‘The Sound of Music’. When his children were younger, The Shawshank Redemption was very popular. He is now waiting to find his next favourite film via CFS!
Secretary
Christine has been a CFS member for many years on the committee.
Her favourite films are: “Hero” (directed by Zhang Yimou) “The Last Samurai” (directed by Edward Zwick) and “Chocolat” (Directed by Lasse Hallström).
Vice President & Film Selection Committee
Leanne joined CFS in 2007 and has enjoyed fabulous films ever since, including Persepolis, a film she had previously never heard of which is now among her favourites, along with American Beauty and Donnie Darko.
Treasurer
Coralie join our Committee in 2024.
Treasurer
Ian joined our Committee in 2024.
Publicity Committee
Amanda manages the Website, Facebook page and also helps to produce our regular eNews, keeping our members informed.
Committee Member
Howard became interested in international film in the 1960s and has learned much more about other cultures through film than if he had done the normal tourist visit.
He has been a valuable member for many years.
General Committee
Charlotte is a new member to our Committee in 2024.
General Committee
Melissa joined the CFS committee at the AGM in March 2023. We really value her input on the committee.
General Committee
Emily is our newest committee member, she joined in June 2024. She has an interest in films and is looking forward to contributing to the running of the Croydon Film Society committee.
Croydon Film Society 2024
The Croydon Film Society has certainly been well received at its new home in the Metro Cinemas Boronia. Whilst losing only a handful of members with its move from Croydon the society has gained nearly forty new members for its screenings on alternative Monday evenings. We can still take more members with only two of the four cinemas occupied.
In 2024 the society is offering eighteen screenings throughout the year with films from the UK, Australia, USA, France, Korea and Bhutan. The selection panel has watched nearly a hundred films in order to assemble a program of unique and obscure films from Australia (4) and around the world. Always the aim has been to present the best that cinema has to offer in order to stimulate and entertain our members.
Some of the highlights of our coming season are Warwick Thornton’s THE NEW BOY, which tells the story of an indigenous boy sent to a remote convent school and stars Cate Blanchett and Deborah Mailman.
Another film centred on a child left alone is SCRAPPER from the UK in which a 12 year old girl is left lone in a London flat until one day her estranged father turns up. The film explores this new relationship with humour an understanding.
From USA/Korea we have PAST LIVES where two childhood sweethearts meet again in a different country, resulting in a very touching and always subtle film. Bhutan is the unlikely source of the astonishing LUNANA, A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM, in which an aspiring singer dreams of getting a visa in order to move to Australia.
France, as usual, provides several of our highlights. ONE FINE MORNING has Lea Sedoux as a single mother who also looks after her father and embarks on a love affair. Once again the treatment is gentle and subtle.
For our retrospective this year we have the Australian classic DEATH IN BRUNSWICK which has Sam Neil attempting to get rid of a body in some very awkward situations. Also home grown is THE GIANTS, which, using the magnificent Tasmanian trees under threat of logging, purports to highlight the life of Bob Brown, environmentalist and activist.
Winner of the best director award at Cannes in 2023 was Park Chan-wook for DECISION TO LEAVE. A wonderful film noir thriller. It tells a complex and intriguing story with photography which must be seen on a big screen. Another big plus for Korean cinema.
Our final two films for the year are from France. Firstly DRIVING MADELEINE which is a disarming film consisting of a taxi ride across Paris with the 92 year old Madeleine persuading the taxi driver to take many diversions to places she recalls from her past. Finally we end the year with the comedy PLANCHA/HAPPY 50. What else would we finish up with?
The Croydon Film Society does not only offer fine films. As a member you will also receive regular newsletters in the form of an E-News which will have a review of the upcoming films, other happenings concerning the Film Society and a full rundown of everything of importance to do with cinema in Melbourne and Victoria.
You will be able to discuss the film you have just seen with friends and new acquaintances in the foyer or join the group which habitually retires to a local café for coffee and further discussion. As you leave the cinema you are able to vote on the film you have just viewed and be sure that the committee takes notes of the voting pattern. The evening is always a pleasant experience.
The new season kicks off on Monday February 12 at the Boronia Cinemas in Dorset Rd. Screenings commence a 7.10pm in Cinema 4 and 7.20pm in Cinema 3 on alternate Mondays except school and public holidays.
Annual membership is only $120 for the eighteen screenings or $100 concession and a membership can be shared between two people with one attending each screening. This equates to $6 or $5.50 per screening.
To join the Croydon Film Society for 2024 contact membership@croydonfilms.org.au or ring 0490 663 159
Croydon Film Society 2023
Croydon Film Society is coming to Boronia. From May 1st the Metro Cinemas Boronia will welcome the sixty-eight year old film group for screenings on Monday evenings every fortnight (excluding school holidays).
The society screens films of quality and critical acclaim which are not generally seen outside the city cinemas. It offers the best in world cinema, selected by a panel that has a very long and loving relationship with the cinema.
Croydon Film Society was formed in 1956 in the Croydon Hall and quickly grew to 200 members who purchased 35mm projectors (commercial cinema standard) by 1959. The guiding light was Betty Jope who, when she retired in 1986, after thirty years, had to be replaced by four other members of the committee. Croydon Hall was never meant to function as a cinema and was so cold that members turned up in their warmest clothes, complete with blankets, and even hot water bottles. Turn up they did, in ever-increasing numbers, to the point where a waiting list was started when the membership reached six hundred.
The society paid for some heating in 1973 but it was not until 1989 that the council installed ducted heating. In 1991, the council demanded that the society spend many thousands of dollars to improve the bio-box, but did not consider spending any money on improving the rudimentary seating and other aspects of the hall facilities.
The society decided to move to Mooroolbark Community Centre, but with its flat floor, moveable seats and poor projection facilities, this was a disaster. So after three years, CFS found itself at the Hoyts Twin Cinema in Croydon. Membership, which had fallen to 250, now improved but soon Hoyts closed the cinema and the next move was to Readings Cinema at Chirnside Park. The modern, comfortable, auditoriums were warmly welcomed by members and membership grew quickly to 550. Our occupation of Readings Cinemas served the society well until 2015 when, on instructions from the American head office, the rental was increased by 300%, which was totally unaffordable.
The society returned to Croydon Cinemas, now with four screens, under private ownership. We have been wonderfully looked after for last seven years but the effect of Covid on the cinema industry during the past three years has decimated attendances and caused the closure of Croydon Cinemas. This has brought about our move to the very welcoming arms of the Schouten family in their Boronia Cinemas, with our current membership of 300.
Over the years, people have joined and remained with, Croydon Film Society, because they trust the selection of films to be varied, unbiased and of the highest quality. Members vote on their judgment of the film they have just seen as they leave the cinema. The scores are usually very high but if we occasionally slip up, the judgment is there for all to see. This policy will continue in the comfort and boutique environment of the Metro Cinemas.
One of the many advantages of membership of CFS is the regular E-Newsletter which not only presents the upcoming films but also gives details of all upcoming matters regarding film events, in and around Melbourne.
Croydon Film Society is organized by a committee of twelve local people, some who have been involved for some forty years. The program of films is compiled by a small selection group and then presented to the full committee for discussion and alteration before being booked from local distributors. This happens in late October for the following year and a list is circulated in September to enable members to vote and influence the inclusions in the final program. We are already researching titles that will go onto the list in September. The aim is to finally choose films which will be well received by anyone who loves cinema. They will originate from any country in the world, for example the fifteen remaining films for 2023 are from ten different countries.
.Screenings will be on alternate Monday evenings at 7.10pm in Cinema 3 and 7.20pm in Cinema 4 at Metro Boronia. For about $6.00 per screening, members may view eighteen films during the year and bring a guest (free) to any single screening. We also intend to explore afternoon screenings during the winter months for those who do not drive at night in the winter. After evening screenings a group usually adjourns to a nearby café where over a coffee all aspects of the film just screened generate a lively discussion.
.This is a wonderful opportunity for local people to view the world’s best films in ideal surroundings at a minimal cost surrounded by others with similar tastes and a common feeling for classic cinema.
History of the Croydon Film Society
Croydon Film Society has been operating successfully for over sixty years, bringing quality cinema to the outer eastern fringes of Melbourne. Screenings began in the Croydon Hall when a dedicated group thought that people should be given the opportunity to see films they would not be able to catch in their local cinema and the society was born founded in 1956. They began with 16mm film, but had the foresight to buy two 35mm projectors from an old cinema which enabled them to access an expanded range of films. Over the years, the membership built to a high of ~700 in the 1980s.
When our screening venue suddenly closed we had to find new accommodation and the Mooroolbark Community Centre became our new home. As the facilities were not ideal for screening to such a large audience, our membership numbers decreased and we approached Croydon Twin Cinemas to move our screenings to their facilities. This independent cinema was sold to Hoyts, and unfortunately, after some time we were required to find another venue but made a smooth transition to Reading Cinemas in Chirnside Park.
The venue change was so successful that we soon found that we needed to screen in two cinemas to accommodate our increasing numbers and in 2008, annual membership closed prior to the first film screening to ensure we could accommodate all members. Increasing screening costs meant that we were on the lookout for a new home and in 2016 we returned to the newly independent Croydon Cinemas.
In May 2023, the Croydon Cinemas closed, which left the Film Society to once agin find a new venue that would suit the budget of the Film society too. The membership numbers were significantly reduced by the closing of cinemas for almost 2 years in Melbourne due to Covid. Because the group has been going for over 60 years we have a wonderfully diverse range of ages of our members, many of whom are in their more senior years.
2023 will be a year to grow the membership so theat more of the commuity can enjoy critically acclaimed films of all genres, including many award-winning foreign movies that you won’t see in mainstream cinemas
The society is run by a team of volunteers, who strive to emulate the expertise of those foundation members such as Betty Jope who virtually ran the society (and the Federation of Victorian Film Societies) single-handedly for many years. We commemorate her efforts in a tribute screening of a classic film each year.
Anecdotes
Member stories are welcome anytime and add to our rich history. Email your story to enquiries@croydonfilms.org.au
I look forward to and enjoy watching and experiencing the selection of films at Croydon Film Society. There is a broad range of film genres, different themes, cultures, countries, languages (subtitled), times in history. The films provide interest and are thought-provoking, many remain in my memory and have broadened my horizons.
Most films take one on an interesting journey!
Angela Walkenhorst March 2023
Would you like to enjoy an interesting range of movies? Croydon Film Society has a well-run committee of dedicated people, is very affordable (18 movies per year), and is full of friendly members who appreciate the value that quality cinema brings to our lives.
Ron Carroll 2022
An enlightening, stimulating experience in watching a range of movies that go beyond the standard fare offered in most cinemas. It is also a good experience in building connections with other members over a coffee after the movie.
A great way to spend every second Monday eve, enjoying films in a very cost-effective and supportive environment.
Jenny Purvis 2022
There are so many memories about CFS – how cold was the old hall when we had to bring rugs and hot water bottles in the winter, those dreadful but joyful Xmas suppers of salami, cheese & Lions fruit cake – all washed down with more than ample champers!!
Probably the most memorable event was when half of us left the hall to march on Council to protest something or other about our lease (or was it about the seats?). Who can remember at this distance?
There was also the fun of joining up our kids when they reached teenage – one after another – five of them. And two of them went on to become serious players in the industry – so Croydon Film Society has had a real impact on our family life over many, many years. I still labour mightily for a day or two each September working out what to pick for the next year’s program.
Above all else I would have to say that the Executive of this group has provided us all with an astonishing level of service and care. Over the years I have served on too many committees to remember. I know only too well how much effort and dedication it takes to make something like this group actually function. This is the only group I have ever belonged to that has not needed me to do a thing – just sit back and enjoy the ride. For this immense pleasure I say “thank you , thank you, thank you”. You have been real troupers and you all deserve medals or at the very least, a big hug!
I hope some younger ones will start taking up the slack as we old codgers gradually run out of steam.
Thanks everyone!
Lyn and Leo Kennedy
29 years ago we arrived in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne with a 7 year old girl and the next one in the pot. We had migrated from Ireland where we had been members of the Irish Film Society for many years and were able to watch films, which did not pass the strict Irish censorship.
Settling into our new life with a new baby without family support was not easy, but we soon made friends and life became easier. However, going out at night was not possible. We heard about the Croydon Film Society and counted the years till we felt we could leave the kids at home for a couple of hours in the evening. As soon as our older one turned 14 we joined. In the beginning we were always the last ones to arrive sitting in the front rows taking in the movie with our eyes and ears, feeling like we were in the movie ourselves.
I used to make fun and call it the ‘Cardigan Club’ as everybody was so much older than us. Now I am the one wearing the cardigan and the grey hair!
Thank you to the committee for making it possible for all of us to enjoy more and more wonderful, varied and controversial movies year after year.
Jasminka and David
Great variety of films. Very welcoming, pleasant and helpful. committee members.Opportunity to gather for film discussion and coffee after film.
Coraline Anderson 2022
When my wife and I returned to live in Melbourne at the end of 1971, one of our resolutions was to join a film society. We began with the Melbourne Film Society in 1972, an experience we much enjoyed – the Palais Theatre, the programme notes and the choice of films. However, the travel to St Kilda was negative and when we heard of the Croydon Film Society it was an easy choice to switch. I have been a member since the beginning of 1973 with Barbara starting in 1974.
We have never regretted the decision and have introduced about 20 friends over the years, some of whom are still members.
I did offer Frank my collection of newsletters from 1973, only to be embarrassed to find that I could not locate those of the first 6 years. I cannot believe that I have thrown them out but they, and all but 1 of the MFS notes from 1972, seem to have disappeared. One thing that has survived is the programme for 1978. It was an impressive offering: 22 films, including the Australian ‘Don’s Party’ and ‘The Devil’s Playground’ together with a range of foreign creations including ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Lost Honour of Katherina Blum’. The quality and appropriateness of the main feature never ceased to impress. In addition, there was a short each screening – I understand but regret the loss of the short supporting films. There were also 3 ‘Monday Special Screenings’ to which members could invite friends – or was that to the earlier Sunday Specials? The thing that amazes me most is the cost of membership: Adult $8; Pensioner, Junior, and Student Concession $3! Even allowing for the passage of years and inflation seems incredible.
Congratulations to the present committee for continuing a fine tradition.
Alistair Hopkins
I joined the Croydon Film Society when my first child was young and had to wait till my husband arrived home before I could leave.
The Croydon Hall did not live up to the standard we expect today in relation to heating. We had been there for about three years when we then moved to the Mooroolbark Hall where we either sat on the bleachers at the side or had to move our chairs if we couldn’t see. After awhile we then moved to Croydon before moving to Chirnside Park which allowed either a cup of coffee after or a meal prior to chat with other members. Our increase in membership then required two cinemas. Now back to Croydon with a lot of the familiar committee faces through all those moves. It is a well organized group. I must say that some of the films at Croydon Hall made your hair stand on end… it makes you realize how the standard of films has improved.
Looking forward to the next decade.
Togram
In 1968 I was a member of the Croydon Film Society and recall going to the Hall in Main St Croydon. This particular year was the only time I was living in Mooroolbark as I had spent the previous years and later years teaching in the country.
One of the highlights of 1968 was attending the Melbourne Film Festival at the Palais where I ushered and also received tickets to attend other films. It was a busy time and I hardly spent a night at home while the Festival was on!
On my return to the Yarra Valley several years later, I rejoined the Croydon Film Society. I haven’t been to any films at the Melbourne Festival since.
Lesley Cooper