Stroud Film

Societywww.stroudfilmsociety.org

2019–202062nd season

All the films are shown at the Open House Hall, Slad Road, Stroud

On Thursdays, starting at 8pm. Arrive from 7:30pm

Membership: £40 full year, £22 from January 2020

Membership and Guest TicketsPlease phone Tim and Kirsten Mugford

on 01453 757123 for details of Membership or to book Guest Tickets.

Alternatively use the Contact page on our website. Guest Tickets MUST be booked in

advance, but the cost will be offset against the membership fee if you subsequently join!

On-street car parking is available in Birches Drive, Locking Hill and Lansdown.

There is a car park in Merrywalks and multi-storey in Bath Street.

The Film Society is a member of Cinema of All Registered Charity No. 285055

This programme is presented in good faith but the Committee reserves the right to make amendments should any film

prove to be unavailable

Director: Spike Lee Production: United StatesRunning Time: 135 minutesSpike Lee won the Oscar for best script for his film about police officer Ron Stallworth. Back in the 1970’s, black officer Stallworth and white partner Flip Zimmerman managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan, at great personal risk. Spike Lee’s intelligent script (which veers between humour and tension) manages to draw parallels between the racism of that time and modern America.

Thursday 5th March 2020BlacKkKlansman

Director: Petra Biondina VolpeProduction: SwitzerlandRunning Time: 96 minutesDid you know that Switzerland denied women the right to vote until the early 1970’s? The social changes of the 1960’s seemed to have passed sleepy Switzerland by, however a growing movement of disaffected women are preparing to rise up. One such woman is Nora (an excellent Marie Leuenberger) who changes from a mother and wife to a campaigner for rights. Winner of the audience award at the Tribeca Film Festival.

To Be Preceded by The Annual General Meeting

Thursday 26th March 2020Divine Order & AGM Open House

Director: Mimi Leder Production: United StatesRunning Time: 120 minutesThe true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to be appointed to the prestigious American Supreme Court. On The Basis Of Sex follows Ginsburg’s career from her early days at Harvard (and the sexual prejudice she encountered there) to her career defining cases of the early 1970’s. British star Felicity Jones was unfairly overlooked last Oscar season for her powerful central performance. Intelligent and thought provoking, especially when you consider the modern American political climate.

Director: Wolfgang Becker Production: GermanyRunning Time: 121 minutesThis highly acclaimed film is being shown to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In East Berlin Christiane (Katrin Sass) is a loyal citizen of the East German Democratic Republic. She suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma, shortly before the fall of the BerlinWall. Worried that any shock could kill her, her son, Alex (Daniel Bruhl) her daughter and friends-devise ever more elaborate ways to keep her believing nothing has happened. Best European Film, Berlin Film Festival 2003.

Director: Gustav MöllerProduction: DenmarkRunning Time: 85 minutesCopenhagen police officer Asger (Jakob Cedergren) has been temporarily assigned to answering emergency calls in a police call centre. One of these calls is from a woman who claims she is being kidnapped. It then becomes a desperate race against time for the desk bound Asger. Like the 2013 film Locke, this is essentially just one man and a phone, yet this tightly constructed thriller racks up the tension in a way that most American thrillers can only dream of.

Director: Wolfgang FischerProduction: Germany / AustriaRunning Time: 94 minutesRike (a mesmerising Susanne Wolff) is a tough paramedic who has a unique plan for a holiday. She plans to sail single handed from Gibraltar to the Ascension Islands. On that journey Rike will encounter something that will change her life forever. Susanne Wolff gives an incredible performance which should have been more lauded in a film which leaves you with the question – what would you do under these circumstances?

Director: Hirokazu KoreedaProduction: JapanRunning Time: 121 minutesThe 2018 winner of the Cannes festival Palm d’Or. In modern day Tokyo, a dysfunctional family living in poverty survive by shoplifting. While very good at this art of stealing, they also have ethics to justify their actions. This delicate balance changes when they help Yuri, a young malnourished child who has suffered abuse. Their act of kindness has far reaching consequences. Intimate, harrowing in places yet ultimately uplifting.

Director: Benedikt ErlingssonProduction: Iceland / UkraineRunning Time: 101 minutesHalla (played by Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir) is an eco activist who has plans to stop a manufacturing plant from destroying the natural beauty of Iceland. However her plans are disrupted by changes in her personal life. The award winning Woman At War deals with many important themes, such as the role of women as activists and the fight to save the planet. It also has wonderful performances, excellent pacing and stunning scenery; not to be missed!

Director: Bill BuckhurstProduction: United KingdomRunning Time: 100 minutesBased on the play by Richard Cameron. Set in a small Yorkshire village during 1994. Young Trevor (Tom Varey) hears stories of a giant carp being spotted in decoy ponds just outside the village. Trevor and his friends set off on a fishing trip, however the time spent together turns into a heartfelt rumination into what they believe their future could be. These film makers are the natural successors to Ken Loach and Mike Leigh with their telling of the plight of the working class.

Director: Camilla Strøm HenriksenProduction: NorwayRunning Time: 86 minutesAnother film this season built around a strong female central performance. In this case, Ylva Bjorkaas Thedlin who plays Jill, the 14 year old in a very dysfunctional family. Jill cares for her younger brother and her mentally unstable mother. The natural balance of this family is thrown into chaos when a planned family event goes horribly wrong. Powerful characterisations bring to mind the complexity of Ingmar Bergman. Phoenix is not a film which is easily forgotten.

Thursday 12th September 2019On the Basis of Sex

Thursday 7th November 2019Good Bye Lenin!

Thursday 9th January 2020The Guilty

Thursday 3rd October 2019Styx

Thursday 21st November 2019Shoplifters

Thursday 30st January 2020Intouchables

Thursday 17th October 2019Woman at War

Thursday 12th December 2019Pond Life

Thursday 20th February 2020Phoenix

Director: Olivier Nakache & Eric ToledanoProduction: FranceRunning Time: 112 minutesBAFTA nominated comedy drama based on a true story. Reluctant caregiver Driss (Omar Sy) gets a job looking after quadriplegic millionaire Philippe (Francois Cluzet).Even though Driss does not want to be there, the two eventually start to form a bond. Examining such subjects as social class, health and humanity, makes the Intouchables one of the best French films in the last decade.