Aunty Social have lit up the Fylde independent cinema scene in recent years and on Saturday 5 November they have more than one reason to set off fireworks, when the Film Society of the Year Awards are announced, as they have made the shortlist.
The awards have a 45 year tradition; the first winners were Southport Film Guild, just a short hop over the Ribble from Blackpool and still going strong. These days there are several categories, and Aunty Social are in the running for the Best Single Event for their Winter Gardens Film Festival.
The ground breaking festival took place in January of this year, showcasing the best of modern and classic black and white film in the spectacular historical setting of the Blackpool Winter Gardens. The main screenings took place in the magnificent Opera House, with other screenings in the Grand Foyer, Derham Room and the Elizabethan splendour of the Baronial Hall. Films shown spanned film history from the 1920s (Man With A Movie Camera) to the current decade (Frances Ha and Ida).
Since then, Aunty Social have gone on to provide a pop-up season of independent cinema at Stanley Park over the summer which was previewed by altblackpool here.
If you missed both these events (where have you been?) then the good news is there will be another Film Festival next year. The dates have been set for Friday 3 February to Sunday 5 February. It will be a deliberately varied programme this time, taking in classical music, comedy, horror, silent classics and contemporary comedy.
The 2017 Winter Gardens Film Festival includes a short film competition. Entrants will compete for a £500 prize and the Golden Seagull Award, as well as two runners up prizes. Entries must be black and white with a running time of 20 minutes or less. There is still time to enter as the deadline is Monday 31 October, it costs £8 for Fylde residents and you can find full details here.
The results for this year’s Film Society of the Year Awards will be announced at a dedicated event at the Showroom Cinema, Sheffield. Let’s hope it goes with a bang for Aunty Social, but win or lose I am sure they will continue to light the cultural blue touch paper in the town.
Don’t forget you can catch Anomalisa as part of Aunty Social’s Pictures in the Park programme this Sunday from 3.30pm – find out more on the Facebook event.
Featured image courtesy of Jill Reidy.
