A film society is a membership-based

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

where people can watch screenings of films which would otherwise not be shown in mainstream cinemas. In Spain, Ireland and Italy, they are known as "cineclubs", and in Germany they are known as "filmclubs". They usually have an educational aim, introducing new audiences to different audiovisual works through an organized and prepared program of screenings. Editorial output reinforces the work of these organisations, as they produce hand-programmes, brochures, schedules, information sheets, and even essays, supporting the significance of their exhibitions. A common feature that may characterize a film society screening is that they begin with an introduction of the film to the audience, and end with the promotion of a

discussion Conversation is interactive communication between two or more people. The development of conversational skills and etiquette is an important part of socialization. The development of conversational skills in a new language is a frequent focus ...

about the film, where assistants, organizers and sometimes the

filmmakers Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a Film, motion picture is #Production, produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through scr ...

themselves, exchange their views. There are networks in many different

countries A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, so ...

, and these are organized into federations, councils, collectives, and local

networks Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

. Famous film societies include

Amos Vogel Amos Vogel ( Vogelbaum; April 18, 1921 – April 24, 2012) was a New York City cineaste and curator. Biography Vogel was born in Vienna, Austria. He fled Austria with his parents after the Nazi Anschluß in 1938 and at first studied animal husband ...

Cinema 16 Cinema 16 was a New York City–based film society founded by Amos Vogel. From 1947-63, he and his wife, Marcia, ran the most successful and influential membership film society in North American history, at its height boasting 7000 members. Histo ...

Cinémathèque Française The Cinémathèque Française (), founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement, the archive offers ...

, and the

Film Society of Lincoln Center Film at Lincoln Center, previously known as the Film Society of Lincoln Center until 2019,Aridi, Sara (April 28, 2019).. ''The New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019. is a film society based in New York City, United States. Fo ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

International

The film society movement originated in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the time between the two world wars (see below). The international body for film societies is the International Federation of Film Societies. This international association was set up in 1947 in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

(

) among groups of film societies in countries throughout the world and this association is called Fédération Internationale des Ciné-Clubs (F.I.C.C.).

Australia

Founded in 1946, the Hobart Film Society is the oldest continually operating film society in Australia. The

Melbourne Cinematheque The Melbourne Cinémathèque is a non-profit film society screening programmes year-round, dedicated to presenting the history of world cinema on the big screen in carefully curated retrospectives. It started out as Melbourne University Film Socie ...

began as the Melbourne University Film Society (MUFS) in 1948 and changed its name to Cinémathèque in 1984. The national body for film societies in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

is the

Australian Council of Film Societies Australian Council of Film Societies ACOFS is the national body for film societies in Australia. The inaugural meeting was held in Sydney in November 1949 and the constitution was adopted at a second meeting which is the official start of ACOFS, in ...

(ACOFS) was established in 1949. Notable members of the Australian "film society movement" include Ian Klava,

David Stratton David James Stratton (born 10 September 1939) is an English-Australian award-winning film critic, as both a journalist and interviewer, film historian and lecturer and television personality and producer. Life and career Born in Trowbridge, ...

Michael Thornhill Michael Thornhill (29 March 1941 – 22 January 2022) was a film producer, screenwriter, and director. Career Thornhill had a background in freelance journalism and publishing including working as a film critic. He was a member of the WEA Fi ...

Frank Moorhouse Frank Thomas Moorhouse (21 December 1938 – 26 June 2022) was an Australian writer. He won major Australian national prizes for the short story, the novel, the essay, and for script writing. His work has been published in the United Kingdom, ...

Ken Quinnell Ken Quinnell (born 1939) is an Australia screenwriter and film director. Journalism Quinell has a background in publishing and freelancejournalism, including working for ''Screen International'' and ''Rolling Stone''. In the 1960s he was a m ...

and

John Flaus John Flaus (born 1934) is an Australian broadcaster and actor. Filmography *''Rake'' (2014) *''Tracks'' (2013) *''Jack Irish'' (2012-2021) - 3 films and 15 episodes as Wilbur *''Pinion'' (2010) *''I Love You Too'' (2010) *''Mary and Max'' (2 ...

Bangladesh

Film society movement in Bangladesh was started in 1963. The young generation of the '70s is continuing this society culture. From their effort, there are now quite a few film societies in Bangladesh. The parent organization is

Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies of Bangladesh (FFSB) is the umbrella organization of film societies in Bangladesh. FFSB commenced its journey on October 24 in 1973 as a federation for all film societies functioning in Bangladesh. FFSB regularly arran ...

(FFSB). Prominent film societies in Bangladesh are: *

Moviyana Film Society The Moviyana Film Society ( bn, ম্যুভিয়ানা ফিল্ম সোসাইটি) is one of the largest film culture oriented organisations in Bangladesh. It was established on 10 November 2006. It regularly arranges Film Sc ...

* Dhaka University Film Society *

Chokh Film Society ''Chokh'' ( lit. The Eyes) is a 1983 Indian Bengali film directed by Utpalendu Chakrabarty, with Om Puri, Anil Chatterjee, Shyamanand Jalan and Sreela Majumdar in lead roles. The film is set in 1975 and the oppression and exploitation of Jute ...

Jagannath University Film Society Jagannath ( or, ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ, lit=Lord of the Universe, Jagannātha; formerly en, Juggernaut) is a deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India and Bangladesh as part of a triad along with his brother Balabhadra, and sister ...

* Women's Film Society Bangladesh * Zahir Raihan Film Society * Islamic University Film Society * Ranesh Dasgupta Film Society * Children's Film Society, Bangladesh * Rainbow Film Society * Chalachchitram Film Society * Sylhet Agricultural University Film Society * Chittagong University Film Society * Rajshahi University Film Society * BUET Film Society * CUET Film Society * Brac University Film Society * KHULNA FILM SOCIETY * Barisal University Film society * Daffodil International University Film Society

Canada

The beginnings of Canadian film education may be traced to the relatively late arrival of the film society movement. While the earliest film societies were formed in Paris in 1924 and in London the following year, it wasn't until 1935 that Donald Buchanan assembled a sufficient number of film enthusiasts to launch the National Film Society of Canada. That organization, largely modelled on the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

, took as its mandate the establishment of a genuine film culture. Within a year, the society opened branches in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. After a wartime hiatus, the Canadian film society movement enjoyed what may now be seen as its golden age. The National Film Society, renamed the

Canadian Film Institute The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) (french: Institut canadien du film (ICF)) Canadian Film Institute involves Canada in the film production, study, appreciation process of film/moving images for cultural and educational purposes. The Canadian Film ...

in 1950, became a clearing house for a growing number of societies across Canada. It was soon a victim of its own success as the groups broke away in 1954 to form the Canadian Federation of Film Societies (CFSS). Spearheaded by Dorothy Burritt, CFFS member societies programmed ambitious retrospectives often accompanied by lengthy and erudite program notes.

Colombia

There are a number of active local societies including Pulpmovies and Cinema Solaz.

France

The term "film club" appears for the first time in April 1907 with the creation of 's "Film club." Located at the 5

Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...

boulevard in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, it is to preserve and place at the disposal of its members all the cinematographic documents and productions existing. It is also equipped with a room of projection. The Italian film theoretician

Ricciotto Canudo Ricciotto Canudo (; 2 January 1877, Gioia del Colle – 10 November 1923, Paris) was an early Italian film theoretician who lived primarily in France. In 1913 he published a bimonthly avant-garde magazine entitled ''Montjoie!'', promoting Cubism ...

who had been living in Paris since 1921 founded one of the first film societies. After the first world war the film director and film critic

Louis Delluc Louis Delluc (; 14 October 1890 – 22 March 1924) was an Impressionist French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Biography Delluc was born in Cadouin in 1890. His family moved to Paris in 1903. After graduating from the university, ...

founded one of the first film societies and the important

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

''Cinéa.'' In 1930

Jean Vigo Jean Vigo (; 26 April 1905 – 5 October 1934) was a French film director who helped establish poetic realism in film in the 1930s. His work influenced French New Wave cinema of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Biography Vigo was born to ...

founded the first film club in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, les Amis du Cinéma. In 1935

Henri Langlois Henri Langlois (; 13 November 1914 – 13 January 1977) was a French film archivist and cinephile. A pioneer of film preservation, Langlois was an influential figure in the history of cinema. His film screenings in Paris in the 1950s are often ...

and

Georges Franju Georges Franju (; 12 April 1912 – 5 November 1987) was a French filmmaker. He was born in Fougères, Ille-et-Vilaine. Biography Early life Before working in French cinema, Franju held several different jobs. These included working for an i ...

founded the film society ''Cercle du cinéma'' which became the

Cinémathèque française The Cinémathèque Française (), founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement, the archive offers ...

in 1936 to show and to preserve old films. After the second world war the movement of ciné-clubs boomed. In 1945 the film society of

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed ...

was founded from which originated the

Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (french: Festival international du film d'animation d'Annecy, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of J ...

. In 1948

André Bazin André Bazin (; 18 April 1918 – 11 November 1958) was a renowned and influential French film critic and film theorist. Bazin started to write about film in 1943 and was a co-founder of the renowned film magazine ''Cahiers du cinéma'' in 1951, ...

together with Jean-Charles Tacchella, Doniol-Valcroze, Astruc, Claude Mauriac,

René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. Life and career Clément studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. In 1936, he directed hi ...

and Pierre Kast founded the avantgarde film society ''Objectif 49''.

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

became its president. This film society became the cradle of the

Nouvelle Vague French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...

. ''Objectif 49'' organized the ''Festival du Film Maudit'' which took place in

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...

in 1949.

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...

has depicted vividly Bazin's engagement in the ciné=club-movement:

"During the first days of our friendship - it was about 1947 - I had the chance of accompanying him at his film presentations and observing him who he projected two short films of Chaplin - first in a Dominican monastery and two days later to the workers in a metal factory in their short break between their lunch and their return to their workbenches. At both occasions he managed to inspire his audience and to draw everybody into the discussion."

The first French film society exclusively for women was founded in the 1970s in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

. In 2005 the

Musée Dapper Musée Dapper was a French museum specializing in African art. It was opened in May 1986, and closed on 18 June 2017. The Dapper Foundation is still located at the same premises in the 16th arrondissement of Paris at 35 rue Paul Valéry, Paris, F ...

in Paris founded the first film society entirely concentrating on the cinema of Africa, the Caribbean and the African-American diaspora - the occasion being the celebration of 50 years of

African Cinema Cinema of Africa is both the history and present of the making or screening of films on the African continent, and also refers to the persons involved in this form of audiovisual culture. It dates back to the early 20th century, when film reels w ...

. There is a federation of clubs: the .

Germany

The first film clubs developed in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

after 1945 upon the suggestion the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and French after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in order to promote non-political strictly cultural exchange and democratic consciousness. In the 1950s, the decade of the flowering of the film club movement, gave it a wave of reestablishments, also in the

Soviet occupation zone The Soviet Occupation Zone ( or german: Ostzone, label=none, "East Zone"; , ''Sovetskaya okkupatsionnaya zona Germanii'', "Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany") was an area of Germany in Central Europe that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a c ...

and/or later

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. The film clubs became either independent

association Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

s or worked under a carrier, which itself

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

and

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

had used up. From them important impulses for the German film landscape proceeded, for example the establishment of

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

s as from International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg.
In the

German Federal Republic BRD (german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland ; English: FRG/Federal Republic of Germany) is an unofficial abbreviation for the Federal Republic of Germany, informally known in English as West Germany until 1990, and just Germany since reunification. It ...

however the number of the film clubs decreased to such an extent that in 1971 the Federal association dissolved. For the 1970s stepped in many places local

cinemas A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

to the place of the film clubs. With the collapse of the German Democratic Republic, many East German film clubs lost the financial and organizational basis, succeeded also here unite the step to the local cinema.
There are two national bodies for film societies in Germany who are members of the International Federation of Film Societies, the Bundesverband Jugend und Film e.V., and the Bundesverband kommunale Filmarbeit.

Hungary

In Hungary, there is quite a vivid cine-club life with involving hundreds of viewers and dispute partners week by week... The first Hungarian film club is dated back to 1956, as you can read here:

India

Filmmaker

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian director, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker, author, essayist, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and music composer. One of the greatest auteurs of fil ...

founded the first Indian film society, the Calcutta Film Society in 1947. In 1959,

Federation of Film Societies of India Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) is the umbrella body of film-screening societies in India. FFSI is currently a member of the International Federation of Film Society that has its Central Office in Paris. The international organisati ...

was formed as a central organization combining the film societies of

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, Bombay (now

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

), Madras (now Chennai) and Patna. Satyajit Ray was elected president. In Chennai, in 1981 Chennai Film Society was started by serious film buffs and film institute graduates. M. Sivakumar was its founder secretary and Sasikumar was its founder president. It was active for 15 years with screening of international films, conducting film appreciation courses, meeting up with film makers, screening retrospective of masters and anniversary film festival. It ran a film magazine in Tamil called Salanam for five years. With the advent of DVDs, satellite television channels, and many of its society organizers got active in film making, the Chennai film society slowly disappeared. The first film society in Kerala was formed in Trivandrum in 1965. It was formed by the celebrated and award-winning director Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It paved the way for a new Malayalam cinema. https://web.archive.org/web/20130131092225/http://www.cinemaofmalayalam.net/malayalam_his_4.html Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation in Chennai has been conducting an annual international film festival,

Chennai International Film Festival The Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF) is a festival organised in the city of Chennai, India, by a film society, the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF), with the support of The Government of Tamil Nadu, the South Indian Film Cha ...

(CIFF) every year in December- http://www.chennaifilmfest.com, http://www.icaf.in, an annual event since 2003. According to film scholar Amrit Gangar it is necessary for a member to be at least 18 years old as film societies are allowed to show uncensored films being exempt from censorship laws. yadharthaa is a Film society functioning from 04-12-1978 in Madurai Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Children Film Society organising Madurai International Children Film Festival from 2004.

Ireland

The Irish Film Theatre operated as a film club in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

from 1977 to 1984. It offered audiences

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

and international films not usually shown by commercial cinemas, and the venue was unusual in showing uncensored films. Irish censorship law only required films that were shown to the general public to be submitted for censorship, and films screened by clubs were exempt from censor review, and cutting or banning.

New Zealand

The first New Zealand Film Society was set up in 1945. In 2015 the New Zealand Federation of Film Societies represented fourteen regions.

Norway

Norwegian film societies are called filmclubs, and their national body is The Norwegian Federation of Film Societies. The first filmclubs were founded at the end of the 1950s in Oslo and Narvik, and since then the film society movement has thrived both in the big cities, and in more rural areas of Norway.

Poland

The national body for film societies in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

is the Polish Federation of Film Societies (Polska Federacja Dyskusyjnych Klubów Filmowych - PF DKF). Its honorary chairman is

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...

Portugal

The national body for film societies for this country is Portuguese Federation of Film Societies, founded in 1978. www.fpcc.pt

Spain

There are two federations of film societies in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

representing

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

and Galicia, the Catalan Federation of Film Societies (Federació Catalana de Cine Clubs) and the Federation of Film Societies of Galiciabr>
(Federación de Cineclubes de Galicia).

Venezuela

Cine Club Monteávila

United Kingdom

The first film society was established in London in 1925 by a group of intellectuals and enthusiasts including

Iris Barry Iris Barry (1895 – 22 December 1969) was a film critic and curator. In the 1920s she helped establish the original London Film Society, and was the first curator of the film department of the Museum of Modern Art, New York City in 1935. Life Ba ...

Sidney Bernstein

Hugh Miller Hugh Miller (10 October 1802 – 23/24 December 1856) was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist and an evangelical Christian. Life and work Miller was born in Cromarty, the first of three children of Harriet Wright ('' ...

Walter Mycroft
and

Ivor Montagu Ivor Goldsmid Samuel Montagu (23 April 1904, in Kensington, London – 5 November 1984, in Watford) was an English filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, film critic, writer, table tennis player, and Communist activist in the 1930s. He helped to de ...

, to show films which had been rejected on commercial grounds, most of them European, and films which had been rejected by the censor, most of them from the Soviet Union. It counted among its sponsors George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, and numerous members of the Bloomsbury Group. It was simply called th
Film Society
but is often referred to as the London Film Society as it was followed by many others in the next fifteen years. These included the Edinburgh Film Guild (1929, still in existence) and the Salford Workers Film Society (1930; this became the Manchester & Salford Film Society, still in existence). Its activities came to an end in 1939, though after the war the New London Film Society was something of a successor body. The national body for film societies in the UK is the British Federation of Film Societies (BFFS). Most university and college students' unions have film societies, including the Warwick Student Cinema at

University of Warwick The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

, St. John's College Film Society at

St. John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, and one of the country's oldes
UCLU Film & TV Society
at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. In 2006, FILMCLUB was launched by BAFTA award-winning filmmaker

Beeban Kidron Beeban Tania Kidron, Baroness Kidron, (born 2 May 1961) is a British filmmaker and an advocate for children's rights in the digital world. Kidron is Chair of 5Rights Foundation, a charity that delivers children's rights for young people online, ...

and educationalist Lindsay Mackie to open up the world of film to primary and secondary school children in the UK.

United States

National Film Society poster (4506107420)

Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center (12686865874)

"From 1946 until 1954, 'Art in Cinema' presented programs of independent film to large audiences at the San Francisco Museum of Art and at the University of California, Berkeley." Inspired by film projections which

Maya Deren Maya Deren (born Eleonora Derenkowska, uk, Елеоно́ра Деренко́вська, links=no;

had organized,

and his wife founded

in 1947. Other film societies in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

include: * Austin Film Society (AFS) *

CWRU Film Society Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Rese ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Central Coast Film Society
in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Columbia Film Society
in Columbia, Maryland * Columbia Film Society in Columbia, South Carolina * Desert Film Society based in Palm Springs, California
Enzian Film Society
in

Maitland, Florida Maitland is a suburban city in Orange County, Florida, United States, part of the Greater Orlando area. The population was 19,543 at the 2020 census. The area's history is exhibited at the Maitland Historical Museum; the city also hosts the Mai ...

based in

Houston Cinema Arts Society Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

* Park Circle Film Society in North Charleston, South Carolina * North Country Film Society, which represents upstate New York * Rehoboth Beach Film Society in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

* Tallahassee Film Society * Victoria Film Society in

Victoria, Texas Victoria is a small city in South Texas and county seat of Victoria County, Texas. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 censu ...

References

Bibliography

*Davis, Ben: Beginnings of the film society movement in the U.S. ''Film & History'' 24 n3/4 (1994): 6-26. * ''Art in Cinema: Documents Toward a History of the Film Society'' (Wide Angle Books), ed. by Scott MacDonald, Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2006, *MacDonald, Scott: ''Cinema 16: Documents Toward a History of the Film Society''. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2003

External links

International Federation of Film Societies

National bodies for film societies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Film Society Cinemas and movie theaters *