Village cinema wins top award
The team behind the cinema at parbold Village Hall of (left to right) Kathryn Halsall, Michael Goodger, Derek Thompson, Michael Bonsall, Joan Hunt, Sue McClusky and Clare Gillard
A COMMUNITY run picture house has beaten cinemas across the length and breadth of the country to win a prestigious national award.
Parbold Picture House has been crowned the UK’s The Best New Film Society, Community Cinema, at the British Federation of Film Societies’ Annual Awards.
The Picture House is based in the transformed Parbold Village Hall which is run by the Parbold Community Association (PCA) on behalf of the community.
And on the day of the awards ceremony earlier this month it beat eight other contenders, which were on the shortlist for the award, one in London and others in towns and villages across the country.
Michael Bonsall, PCA Vice-Chairman and a member of the Picture House film crew and Douglas Music headed the three year fund-raising drive that raised more than £200,000 to transform the hall.
He said: “The award confirms that the three year transformation of the hall has created an exceptional community asset to support outstanding events like The Picture House and Douglas Music’s international concert artists and these are now having an exceptional impact over a wider area.”
The award was based on the cinema’s record during its first year in programming, the high professional quality of the projection and sound, publicity, audience reaction, community involvement and future plans. Eric Bastin of AVCOM, who installed the cinema at the Village Hall, accepted the award on the evening.
In his speech the credit was shared by The Picture House’s ‘very able team of volunteers, the film crew, who have committed their input and effort to this village screen over the last 12 months.’
He added: “Above all credit goes to our audience who have stuck with The Picture House through snow and sunshine.”
As well as Sunday night screenings the Picture House, based on The Green, Parbold, has also started a series of Wednesday matinées, ‘Talking Pictures,’ funded by an Acorn Small Grant, where a film is introduced and after the screening the audience can join in a discussion over tea and cakes.
For further details visit www.parbold.info or www.parbolddouglasmusic.org
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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