After a break during the pandemic, Ventnor Film Society returns on Wednesday 28th September with a new season of current award-winning films from around the world.
For this season, we will be showing each film at Ventnor Arts Club on just one evening, mostly on Wednesdays, but with one screening on Tuesday 11th October. Everyone is welcome to come along; there is no need to be a member of the Arts Club to come to our films.
Interesting and entertaining international films
This season we have found some interesting and entertaining films from the Ireland, Spain, Norway, Malta, and Iran.
There is a mixture of black comedy, romance, satire, drama and coming of age tales, making up a programme that we hope everyone will enjoy, in the original languages with subtitles.
Luzzu (Malta)
Our first choice is an authentic Maltese film, Luzzu. Jesmark is a Maltese fisherman faced with the choice of repairing his traditional wooden fishing boat and scratching a living at sea or selling it to join a lucrative black market operation that is destroying the livelihoods of the fishing families.
Most of the cast are real-life Maltese fisherman and film has been hailed as a classic in the making.
The Worst Person In The World (Norway)
Renate Reinsve scooped Best Actress at Cannes and an Oscar nomination for her engaging role in Joachim Trier’s gentle romantic comedy, The Worst Person In The World. Described as “coming-of-age film for grownups who feel like they still haven’t grown up”, it features Julie, who, pushing thirty, is seeking love and the meaning of life in Oslo.
She jumps between lovers, takes up and abandons multiple careers and experiments with magic mushrooms as she seeks to find out who she really is.
The Good Boss (Spain)
We head next to a Spanish provincial town for The Good Boss, where a company is expecting a visit from a committee to see if they will win a local business award.
The sleazy company owner, Blanco (Javier Bardem) pulls out all the stops to resolve issues with his employees, crossing every imaginable line in the process. Bardem gives a sensational performance in this black comedy and satire on corporate corruption.
Hit The Road (Iran)
From Iran, comes an enchanting, often funny, drama, Hit The Road. As a family embarks on a road trip across the Iranian countryside, they bond over past memories, grapple with fears of the unknown and fuss over their sick dog.
Tensions arise and emotional pressure builds as we slowly learn the purpose for their dangerous journey.
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)
We travel next to Ireland for a gentle drama, The Quiet Girl. In 1981, a young girl, Cáit, is sent away for the summer from her dysfunctional family to live on a farm with her mother’s cousins, whom she has never met.
Slowly, Cáit blossoms and discovers a new way of life, surrounded by an affection she has never known. Yet there are secrets at the heart of the family and Cáit will emerge from the summer forever changed, with the final scene delivering a powerful emotional impact.
Official Competition (Spain)
Our final choice is the much-acclaimed Spanish Official Competition. Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas star together for the first time in this sharp, showbiz comedy.
Lola, a control freak film-maker, pits two egomaniac actors against each other in their roles as estranged brothers. As the three gather for a nine-day rehearsal, Lola racks up the animosity between them, through the ever more absurd exercises to which she subjects them.
Where and when
Ventnor Film Society meets in Ventnor Arts Club, 13 High Street, Ventnor.
Full details for each film can be found on Events OnTheWight.
Screenings take place on Wednesdays (except 11th October) at 7.30pm prompt.
Book your seat
To be sure of a place, please book a seat by emailing [email protected].
Entrance is £6, payable at the door, (cash only). The bar is open from 6.30pm, so please arrive in good time if you would like to buy drinks.
We look forward to seeing all our regulars in September, but if you have never been before, please come along and enjoy!
