Portsmouth Film Society are delighted to celebrate Southsea Cinema & Arts Centre’s being one year old on 19 May 2023 with a salsa night featuring Salsa Katanga dance group.
Portsmouth Film Society has been on quite a journey in its inaugural year running a cinema after many years of putting on pop-up events. Whilst the operating context has been extremely challenging for all creative businesses, the team is proud of what has been achieved in this inaugural year, and grateful to all the Southsea Community Cinema and Art Centre volunteers, supporters and audiences. It’s been a steep learning curve and the mostly volunteer run team are always looking for ways to improve its public and outreach offer. We had a challenging first year without any national or local grants except for BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN). The BFI FAN supported our Black History Month, Pride LGBTQ+ Film Festival. We are working hard to improve and develop our service, exhibition, and educational programme.
We would like to thank the following organisations/groups who came to our venue and shared our home with us:
- Enable Ability
- Social Seniors film sessions
- Motiv8 South
- Mayville High School
- Gig Buddies Portsmouth
- Portsmouth Pride
- Abri
- Creative Advances
- Farmington Wrap Around Service
- Solent NHS Trust (reach out programme)
- University of Portsmouth
- Fine Voice Academy
- Funk Format
- Tongues & Grooves in the Community (poetry group)
- Lewes Live Literature
- Portsmouth BookFest
- The Portsmouth Society
- Talking Change (Solent NHS Trust)
- Public Health Portsmouth
- The Society of St James
- Healthwatch Portsmouth
- Gosport Community CInema
- Drop the Mask Productions CIC
- My Friendly Planet Art and Design School
- INTO Film
- Trash Arts
- Landport Play Club
- Goldsmith Productions
We hosted seven artists’ art exhibition: our exhibition walls are currently booked until the Autumn.
Currently, My Friendly Planet Art & Design School, and Languages’ the Young People’s Art Club “What is Art to Me?” exhibition is at the Southsea Cinema & Arts Centre until 21 Ma (extended).
After this exhibition, our centre will host a Kazakhstan photographer’s Nina Borowsky exhibition from 23 May for a month.
We have hosted two local plays to full houses each time.
We have planned to take on work experience students from Portsmouth College, Highburry College and Ark Charter Academy this summer. We completed many filmmaking workshops with children and adults. We are starting ‘I am Only Human Filmmaking Project 3’ course with The Society of St James and searching for resources to train all our 50 volunteers, who help at both the centre and outdoor cinema events.
The Managing Director of the Portsmouth Film Society and the cinema manager Aysegul Epengin said
‘We are first and foremost ever so grateful to those volunteers who helped and supported. We would not have made it to this point without their invaluable help. We are in the process of applying to be a charitable incorporated organization (CIO) with which we will get stronger and stronger. Our aim is to use film as a medium and educational tool, and to be a central art destination in Southsea. We will be sharing our cinema and arts programmes (including for inclusivity and diversity) with our patrons. ‘
Southsea Cinema & Arts Centre’s more than 200 photos from the last one year: PhotoAlbum
Portsmouth Film Society has been running outdoor cinema events in Portsmouth since 2016. This year four different locations have been selected:
- Cumberland House Natural History Museum garden (PO4 9RF) (Butterfly Garden Museum)
- Fort Purbrook (PO6 1BJ)
- Southsea Skatepark (PO5 3NZ)
- Hambledon Vineyard (PO7 4RY)
https://www.portsmouthfilmsociety.org.uk/outdoor-cinema-23/
This summer, we are planning a drive-in cinema experience at Southsea Common for the film Top Gun: Maverick, selected by The Portsmouth News Facebook followers. Nostalgic drive-in cinema will come to Southsea Common on Friday 21 July evening.
Our next cinema activity will be for The Monthly Indie Film Club with PompeyWoodFestival to including Short;;Cuts Film Festival short films and trailers.
The PompeyWood is an extention of Trash Arts, an award-winning Portsmouth-based film production company focused on micro budget horror and the supporting of new artists. Trash Arts has been involved with numerous film festivals including Making Waves Film Festival and Portsmouth Film Festival.
filmfreeway.com/PompeywoodGenreFilmFestival
The film screenings will be free to the public and reservation is recommended.
Sam Mason Bell from Trash Arts said:
‘We are happy to collaborate with Portsmouth Film Society in showcasing independent cinema from across the nation to our local community, offering an opportunity to see underseen underground films and for filmmakers to network with others within the local scene.’
We welcome you to a new monthly club celebrating indie films from across the world, from art house wonders to B movie delights! Along with the screenings there will also be the opportunity to network with the film makers and those in your local community! This will be free event from 7.30pm occurring every Tuesday of the month: come join us!
Our first selections of screenings are:
May 30- Klaus: The Devil’s Primate. (2014, 70 minutes, action horror)
Synopsis Klaus The Devil’s Primate is on the loose, and dismembered corpses are being found up and down the country. Driven by blood thirsty vengeance, only one man has the power to stop him, Joe Sinclair, a falklands war hero turned mercenary. Left for dead and the only survivor of one of Klaus’ massacres, Joe has spent the past four years hunting him down. Now he has found him. With a team of the best mercinaries in the business, armed to the teeth and with a ninja on board, they are ready to finally take him down. But Klaus isn’t going down without a fight. Prepare for a white knuckle, gore filled ride.
Starring Colin Cuthbert, Sarah Boulter and Liam Olsen
Directed by Steven Noel Sibley
Trailer-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI7ImcxGWhA&ab_channel=STEFANGORE
June 27 The Return Of Alan Strange (2016, 82 minutes, mystery comedy)
Synopsis Portsmouth’s own pioneer indie genre film maker Michael J Murphy’s final film.
With a planned movie reboot of the 60s time travelling detective show “Alan Strange”, down-at-heel actor Peter Hennessey (who originated the role) receives an invitation to a New Year’s Eve party with a difference.
Starring Phil Lyndon, Judith Holding and Patrick Olliver
Directed by Michael J Murphy
Trailer-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioeVZjfnYRA&ab_channel=MURLYNFILMSINTERNATIONAL
July 25th Home Is Where I Lay (2022, 72 minutes, horror)
Synopsis the night before Lily and Joe make the move into their new home, Lily has a premonition of her death. Can she stop it or will the house take her? It needs her to know, this is HIS house.
Starring Annabella Rich, Jackson Batchelor.
Directed by Sam Mason-Bell
Trailer-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYOuAISJjtU&t=7s&ab_channel=TrashArtsProductions
August 29 Tales From The Great War (63 minutes, thriller)
Synopsis a unique british horror anthology. The Western Front, 1916. During a night time raid on a deserted German trench, the fates of four British soldiers collide.
Starring Annabella Rich, Tessa Wood and Terence Mountain
Directed by Andrew Elias
Trailer-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P39nh8IzF8&ab_channel=CiaoHandy%21
If you wish to screen a short film, trailer or feature film please contact Pompeywood at- pompeywoodfilm@gmail.com
