Forest Row Film Society has been shortlisted for the Heart of the Community awards organised by the East Grinstead Courier and its sister papers.
The society is currently fundraising to get some new digital equipment and is one of the 14 medium-sized projects listed in the supplement in this week's paper. There are three awards of £1000 each in this category, so though all the projects are very deserving, we have a good chance of winning if we can receive your votes.
There is a voting coupon in this week's paper, and there will also be more in the paper on 10th and 17th May. You can vote more than once, as long as you complete the forms in the newspaper.
Our Project Name is Forest Row Film Society, and our Project Code is ME9.
All votes must reach the Courier by Monday 25th May.
Details of our project
Forest Row Film Society has been screening films to the local community since 1978. Audiences declined with the advent of video, but recently we've had the most successful seasons for years, showing that there is clear public appetite for good films in rural areas.
This season has been the biggest ever, which has included a mini festival and classic Harold Lloyd silents with live music, which packed the village hall and introduced many children to the hilarious magic of film.
However, we still use an ancient 16mm projector, and it is now almost impossible to source films in that format. We want to show many more films, and a broader range, appealing to a wider section of the community. We particularly want to get more children and young people along, and show films that would appeal to senior citizens, while still building up our traditional audience.
To do this will require the acquisition of new digital equipment and a new, bigger screen, to make going to the village hall a great cinematic experience.
We've raised about £2000 so far, from donations and from members, and are also seeking other funding from film-related bodies and others sources.
I'm delighted to say that we have been awarded £1000. Thanks to everyone that voted for us. This is very encouraging and we should reach our target by our thirtieth anniversary next summer. Do let us know if you would like to help in any way, or if you have any thoughts on what films you would like to see us screen once we have the new equipment.
Forest Row Film Society has been shortlisted for the Heart of the Community awards organised by the East Grinstead Courier and its sister papers.
