100th Spotlight: Ayr Film Society
As part of our celebrations of 100 years of community cinema, we'll be spotlighting the amazing work being done by community cinemas and film societies across the UK! First up, we spoke with the great Ayr Film Society about their 50 year history, the challenges they've overcome, and the amazing impact they've had on their community.
Can you tell us a little bit about Ayr and how the film society was formed?
In November 1972, the Society was formed by a group of 5 individuals passionate about film and sharing this in the community. The first season was held in the local community centre starting 14th January 1973. From 1978 until 2011, we screened at the local teacher training campus lecture theatre. When the campus moved to new premises a temporary home was sought and the number of screenings had to be reduced from our regular eighteen to just six for a half-season.
In September 2012, for the start of the 40th season, a more permanent home was secured in Ayr Town Hall. Since then, we've continued to screen between 20 and 25 films each season, weekly from September to March and we are currently planning our 53rd season. Our commercial Odeon cinema closed in 2023 but was then purchased by Merlin cinemas, renamed the Astoria, and reopened Easter 2024. We collaborated with them for one screening last season and plan to hold three screenings there this coming season, with the idea of future proofing the society.
What kind of films do you screen?
We provide an interesting, varied and eclectic mix of arthouse films from across the world, covering independent contemporary and classic titles, which cover genres such as biopics, drama, comedy and archive material. This past season we showed 23 films from 11 different countries, including our annual involvement with Goethe-Institut’s FOKUS Festival – films from Germany, the French Film Festival, the Into Film Festival, and screening films in support of LGBTQ+ history month and Black Lives Matter. We also show short films by local directors.
Each year, in collaboration with Ayr Arts Guild, we show a silent film with live accompaniment by a professional organist, on the Ayr Town Hall 1904 organ. In addition, we screen films for charities and in support of Earth Hour, with screenings followed by a panel of experts speaking about local and national environment issues and initiatives.
What are some of the challenges you have faced over the years and how have you overcome them?
Challenges have involved finding suitable, affordable premises, to screen films which can also accommodate at least our full membership of approximately 60 to 70 people. We are now looking at using the local cinema for part of our season. The demographic of the audience has played a large part in trying to maintain numbers and financial stability. To tackle this, in addition to reduced membership and tickets costs for under 25s, our advertising is now mainly via social media to engage a younger following. In addition, we have been collaborating with the University of the West of Scotland Film and Screenwriting faculty students to show their short films. The screening medium has also been challenging, firstly screening on 16mm film then on DVD/Blu-Ray, and as less and less become available we occasionally screen from downloads or, in the local cinema setting, DCP.
How has your organisation impacted the community?
The nearest cinema which screens arthouse films is in Glasgow, 40 miles from Ayr. We therefore offer these thought provoking films to the community in a local venue which can be easily accessed by public transport or a car in the centre of town. We collaborate with local charities and organisations to screen films. One example is the annual Christmas film as part of our partnership with the charity Whiteleys Retreat, which supports families with children of life limiting illness, which last year raised £2,255. As a local community cinema, we know the majority of our members by name and are aware this connection can support health and wellbeing for those attending films on their own.
Tell us about a memorable screening.
As you can imagine, there have been many memorable screenings throughout the 52 years of the society from our silent screenings with live organ accompaniment, our screenings with guest speakers like Steven Lewis Simpson, Scottish director of Neither Wolf nor Dog and John MacKay Scottish author of The Road Dance.
One really, memorable evening was when we screened Dirt Road to Lafayette which was followed by a Q&A with the protagonist of the film, 17 year-old Murdo (Neil Sutcliffe). Neil is an accordionist, pianist and folksinger from Stirling, in the central belt of Scotland, who performs as a classical soloist and ensemble musician. As well as answering many questions on his role and his journey in making the film, he entertained us with an impromptu rendition of tunes with his excellent accordion playing.
What do you think the future of community cinema is?
As multiplex cinemas struggle for audiences and remain viable, small independent community cinemas have a positive sustainable future. They show a range of films, not just blockbusters, and in some cases provide a wider experience with talks and music, at a more reasonable cost, without requiring to travel to the city. In contrast to using streaming services at home, community cinemas are about more than providing the product of film but an experience. In contrast to the isolation of watching a film at home, people seek the shared experience of connecting with their community by having a conversation before and after a film screening. The arts in towns and villages is vital and community cinema contributes to this cultural, educational and leisure experience through the medium of film.
How does it feel to be part of the legacy of 100 years of community cinema?
Ayr Film Society are delighted to be included in celebrating the centenary of community cinema and in the history of Cinema For All. Cinema has changed and developed over the years but not people’s interest in the important art form of film.
At Ayr Film Society we screen global, independent arthouse films which are thought provoking and have a diverse range of narratives and characters. We think it’s important that these non-mainstream films are made available in local community cinemas. We’re therefore pleased that our Society and choice of film genre is included in the rich legacy of community cinema. Although the Film Society screens mainly contemporary world cinema, we also include a classic film and a silent film in our programme. We think it’s important to screen these iconic films in the community to show our audience the heritage and impact of cinema.