Ryde Film Club’s 2023/24 programme is in full swing, back by popular demand, and brings you a carefully curated collection of vibrant films by Ryde’s resident film expert – Behroze Gandhy (Film-maker, British Film Institute).
Ryde Film Club offers a tantalizing mix of entertainment from Britain and beyond, including some foreign language cinema – all available to be watched most comfortably at the impressive new Jenny Kerry Performing Arts Centre, Ryde School.
Behroze Gandhy (pictured centre) founder of Ryde Film Club says,
“My passion is to keep cinema alive – from documentary to fiction from mainstream Hollywood to Bollywood and most importantly the avant garde – we want communities to engage in the shared experience of viewing film”
Films inspired by Ryuichi Sakamoto
This season features a selection inspired by Maverick pop star of Yellow Magic Orchestra – Ryuichi Sakamoto who scored memorable films from Hollywood to European art cinema and links several of Ryde Film Club’s new programme: Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence; High Heels; The last Emperor, and the documentary of his life, Coda.
Sakamoto, who died recently, was the inspiration for considering aspects of Western film culture where Japanese film influence has had little known presence: Popular Western favourites such as The Magnificent Seven (1954) by John Sturges and LIVING, starring much loved Bill Nighy (2022), are both based on Japanese Director Akira Kurasawa’s films – The Seven Samurai and IKIRU respectively.
Significant Western directors including Italian Bernardo Bertolucci and Spanish director Pedro Almodovar were influenced by Sakamoto, who went from tech-pop stardom to Oscar-winning film composer. Included are the collaborative films he scored with them, alongside other leading Japanese Directors Yasujiro Ozu (Late Spring) and Kenji Mizoguchi (Rain-Moon Tales), whilst making the opportunity in sequencing to juxtapose some of the original Akira Kurasawa’s Japanese films alongside their Western interpretations.
Before each film screening there is a short five minute informal presentation to help cue aspects of particular audience interest in terms of spatial, illusionistic effect or dramatic convention being explored.
What’s on
The next three films are Sakamoto: Coda on 18th October, High Heels (Tacones Lejanos) on 15th November and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence on 13th December – screening Wednesdays at 7pm.
The full programme can be found at the Ryde Film Club Facebook Group and Events OnTheWight listings with details of each particular film.
Tickets
Ryde Film Club members pay £5 admission; visitors pay £7:
Members make this club a wonderful opportunity to meet up with like-minded and friendly people. Discounted member rates save £25 for the year, but equally you are welcome to come as a non-member and just pay the door fee £7 for the films that appeal to you most.
Entrance to Jenny Kerry Performing Arts Centre is from the Queens Road entrance to Ryde School.
News shared by Jan on behalf of Ryde Film Club. Ed
