Due to diminishing audiences and membership, it is with regret the Rye Community Centre Association Film Club has taken the difficult decision to cease showing monthly films. This will come into effect after the showing of the final film on Friday September 2. It has a full programme of monthly films until this date.
The surplus revenue generated hitherto has been a contribution supporting the running of the Community Centre. It is the Committee’s intention that the Film Club will continue in a different format, giving us the possibility of showing niche films, running special events and joint ventures with other organisations.
This we hope will generate more funds to support the Community Centre which, after all, was always our raison d’être.
The most loyal members will be offered the return of their unused membership or they may consider a donation of these amounts to the Community Centre.
The Film Club would like to thank everyone who supported it over the years.
COMMENT
It was always perhaps inevitable that the Film Club would suffer severely from the arrival of the Kino in Rye last year, writes Kenneth Bird. The committee has struggled valiantly in that time to remain competitive by reducing its cost base, the expense of hiring in films, whilst maintaining the quality of the film shows.
Since its first performance of Brassed Off on May 5 1998, the Club has contributed significantly to the social and cultural life of the town. It has also raised and donated many thousands of pounds towards the running of Rye Community Centre Association on Conduit Hill. In its heyday, audiences of well over 100 members thronged to see the show and enjoy the social atmosphere over a glass of wine.
Of the original founders eighteen years ago, David Willison as projectionist, Geoff Boudreau as film procurer, Kenneth Bird as treasurer and John Izod indefatigably as himself, only Geoff has stayed the course. We wish the committee well in its plans to diversify into niche films and seek partnerships with other organisations.
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Farewell to the monthly Friday night film at the Community Centre – so sad – we’ve enjoyed these film nights for many years – a merry night out with family and friends.
Grateful thanks for all the hard work the Film Team has put into this public-spirited enterprise; Rye has been so lucky to enjoy years of good shows – your audience salutes you and will miss you so much. I for one will support whatever you come up with in aid of the Community Centre.
Very best wishes and love from us all,
Priscilla Ryan & Family
I agree fully with Pricilla’s comments! The whole enterprise has been a lesson in altruism, and I salute Geoff Boudreaux and his current team for their efforts. Having helped fill glasses at the bar, and later washed them on some past occasions, I look forward to attending and or helping at special showings, perhaps during Rye Arts Festival?
Best wishes for the next episode, and thank you.
Sheila Somerville.
The advent of digitalisation will increasingly affect many aspects of life as we have known it and the challenge for us all – and that includes the organisations and institutions that have sustained us culturally and spiritually – is to re-organise our society to maximise the benefits without destroying the social fabric that allows us all to thrive.
Sad as the demise of the Rye Film Club is, Rye’s demographic is rapidly changing, perhaps more so now than at any time in its long history, and it is down to all to ensure that the town’s organisations and institutions adapt to these new circumstances. The success of the Kino with it’s flexible scheduling and programming, has great appeal across the whole demographic but especially amongst the young – who, for too long, have been Rye’s ‘invisible’ generation.
It’ time to change this ……!
Rye Film Club is to be commended for it’s immensely enjoyable , civilised , ‘ Hand Made in England ‘ contribution to a once delightful town , sadly now seemingly in the grip of haute suburban-minded ‘ bull in a china shop ‘ faux-aesthete modernists .
These doubtless well-meaning folk ( originally attracted to Rye’s historical architecture and serendipitous artistic heritage , perhaps )
risk destroying the ambience by modernising everthing , including the sky line with frankly hideous wholly inappropriate development
( such as the towering block of flats on Cinque Ports Street ; and new supermarket loading-bay style gates in the Citadel’s Watchbell Street ).
A recent decision to deny visiting arts festival contributors the thrill
of addressing fans from within an elegant marquee on the lawn of Lamb
House is another lamentable case in point .
To quote HRH The Queen : ” Change does not always mean progress ”
We have enjoyed and supported the Rye Film Club since we moved here in 2002, our eldest son being 3 at the time. At that time, as parents of a young child, being able to go out at least once a month and see a great film, drink a glass of wine, and actually SEE some people, kept us going!
We are devastated to hear the news of the club’s demise – we have missed the last couple of films due to unlucky & conflicting timing – frustrating as we always like to be there – but still feel that the club has something great to offer, particularly in that the films are affordable for all!
Hoping for a miracle. Is there no chance of a reprise? I think one of the reasons attendance might have dropped is that often the same films have been shown as the Kino, so people may have seen them already or will choose that venue; perhaps different choices might help – popular-not-current films/classics etc?
In any event, we will be there to turn out in support of whatever form the film club now takes.
Huge thanks to the dedicated team who have put their all into this wonderful film club for the benefit of the Rye community for so many years.
We look forward to whatever might happen next. Thank you all.