Lin shares details of this upcoming Ventnor Film Society season. Ed
On Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th September, Ventnor Film Society celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new season of acclaimed world cinema.
Under the direction of John and Mary Salisbury, the society first screened in 2005 in Ventnor Botanic Gardens, then migrated to the Winter Gardens and St Boniface School, before coming to Ventnor Arts Club. During the Ventnor Fringe screening of Miles Ahead, we very much enjoyed seeing some regular viewers for a celebratory drink.
Half price tickets for under 25s
This season, for the first time, we will be offering a limited number of half-price tickets, at £3, for viewers under 25 years and we would love to see some new faces trying us out this year.
The Society will once more be screening each film on two evenings each week, usually Tuesday and Wednesday (except November). Everyone is welcome to come along; there is no membership and there is no need to be a member of the Arts Club to attend.
Diverse programme
This season we will be screening a diverse programme of recent award winning films from the Japan, Iceland, Bulgaria, Jordan, UAE, Denmark and Turkey and Colombia. With films about war, sheep, ghosts and cookery, located in rainforests, beaches, deserts and the frozen north, we have put together a programme with something for everyone, in English and in the original languages with subtitles.
Starting the season is Rams, a humorous, but heartrending, Icelandic tale of two estranged farming brothers coming together when their unique breed of sheep is threatened by disease, set in the stunning landscape a remote frozen valley.
From Turkish beach to Arab revolt
Our next offering, Mustang, moves to a Turkish beach, where five teenage sisters are reported to their family for playing with local boys and are forced to replace studies with preparations for marriage; however, the youngest rebels and plans her escape to freedom.
For Theeb we move to an Ottoman province during the Arab Revolt, where a Bedouin boy follows his brother to lead an English soldier on a secret mission that will end in tragedy with Theeb left to survive alone.
This powerful coming-of-age tale deals with honour, brotherhood, loss of innocence and the threat to the traditional Bedouin way of desert life. The Lesson, from Bulgaria, is a nightmarish story of a young teacher pushed to desperate measures when her drunken husband gets her in debt to loan sharks.
Gothic Japanese suspense
Fans of the beautiful Japanese animations of Studio Ghibli will enjoy the studio’s final film, When Marnie Was Here, the mysterious tale of two girls in a mansion by the sea that crosses the line between fantasy and reality and combines Gothic suspense, danger and excitement with a touch of sadness.
From the Danish team behind the popular A Highjacking, comes A War, which sees the commander of a peacekeeping force in an Afghan province caught in heavy crossfire. He takes a decision that will see him charged with a war crime in a gripping story that moves between the battlefield and the courtroom.
More from Japan
Delectable cooking, sadness, friendship and a message about tolerance are the ingredients of the gently emotional Sweet Bean from Japan.
The manager of a pancake stall is charmed into hiring an odd elderly woman after tasting her homemade sweet bean paste.
Critically acclaimed
The Colombian Embrace of the Serpent was one of the big critical successes of the film festivals this year.
In the Amazon forest, Karamakate, a shaman and the last of his people joins with two western scientists in search of a sacred, healing plant. The film is evocatively shot in black and white to give a timeless, documentary feel.
Where and when
See Events OnTheWight for the full listings.
Screenings take place fortnightly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7.30pm (except November).
Ventnor Film Society meets in the Ventnor Arts Club, 13 High Street, Ventnor, which offers comfy chairs and HD projection.
Book in advance
To be sure of a place, please reserve a seat by emailing [email protected], but local viewers can always take a chance and turn up on the night.
Entrance is £6 payable at the door and the bar is open from 6.30pm. We look forward to seeing all our regulars in September but if you have never been before, please come along and enjoy!
