In January 2018 Fermanagh Film Club celebrated its 10th anniversary with a programme of Fun, Film and Music in the Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen.
Short Films by Moving Image students from Erne Integrated, Enniskillen Royal Grammar and the South West College were screened in competition during the afternoon, followed by Irish Award Winning Shorts. The ‘Big Film’ was the Oscar-nominated The Florida Project which would go on to great acclaim. You saw it first in Fermanagh Film Club!
It was a long way from that first meeting in 2008. A small announcement in the local press invited anyone interested in forming a Film Club to a meeting in the Railway Hotel. Five people attended. Who could have imagined then the thriving club it would become?
The club is affiliated with Access Cinema and is supported by BFI, Film Hub NI and the Arts Council. The declared aim of Fermanagh Film Club is to bring a varied programme of art house films to as wide an audience as possible. With that in mind, this year’s films included the Palestinian/Israeli film In Between, which looked at the challenges faced by young Arab-Israeli women living an independent life in Tel-Aviv who must negotiate being ‘in between’ cultures and traditions; and an Irish film The Drummer & the Keeper which explored the unlikely friendship between a chaotic young rock drummer and a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome.
All films are shown in their original language with English subtitles. This year’s languages included: Arabic, Danish, English, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Swedish and Russian. The Club has participated in the FLive festival and local community celebrations by showing films of special interest in addition to their seasonal programme. Vintage Hammer Horror films in the old Regal Cinema last Halloween, with the audience encouraged to come along in fancy dress, proved a big hit!
The club runs two seasons; from September to December and from January to April, with six films per season, but with funding from BFI on the theme of Diversity, we screened an additional film on Tuesday 10th April, the Oscar-nominated Call Me by My Name.
Fermanagh Film Club is open to everyone, and while new members are always welcome, you don’t have to be a member to come to a film. You can buy a ticket at the door on the night.
Venue: Fermanagh House.
Time 8:00pm
Membership £24 (Student Membership £10).
Non-members £5 on the night. (Students £3 on the night).
The programme for 2018/19 will be on the website:
www.fermanaghfilmclub.com
Christina Campbell
