I have created a more stripped back draft of the term 1 schedule so I can see what we’re working with in terms of new releases. I appreciate all the suggestions for older films for the schedule but it’s easy to get carried away with that and slightly forget about the new releases. Stripping it back to just new releases shows how top-heavy the distribution of new releases is, which is something to consider in terms of variety and distribution of other films we want on the schedule. This will be the version of the schedule that I will build on in the programming meeting (to be arranged shortly). However I will still reference the first draft so nothing is wasted!
I just wanted to make this version available so everyone can have a look before the meeting. Please keep suggesting older films and FFE film’s, these are greatly appreciated.
Thanks everyone! Apologies for the longwinded post lol.
I’m so bad at suggesting films but would LOVE it if you did a HTTYD trilogy! Literally no other movie makes me as happy as those 3 movies and I jumped out of my seat when I saw that
Re. distribution towards the end of term. Y’know, I reckon we might not end up too far from the distribution of last year which, idk, I wouldn’t peg as any sort of gold standard (not a gripe about the scheduling, a gripe about what we had to work with!) but was demonstrably fine*.
We’ve currently got 3 new releases scheduled, at least two of which you’d call “big” (in industry at least, remains to be seen how many people want Venom 3 at Filmsoc but I assume we all back it?). We had 6 new releases we wanted in T1 just gone (not including The Killer because it wasn’t planned, and not including Sumotherhood because I don’t think even its eventual champions would have backed it in any other context than a “s–t, we need something, ANYTHING to fill this gap”) and only one-and-a-half of those is “big”/double-worthy (KotFM is… complicated, because we didn’t necessarily know what was coming at the point of putting the schedule together, so it feels like an obvious hit but perhaps only really so in retrospect).
So at that point to get up to where we were last year we need to find three smaller releases, and it feels like there MUST be three films out there that don’t have release dates yet. I think I’d back leaving a gap after the AN (my thoughts are to have the AN on the Friday – I see the appeal of having a lie in on the Saturday but also we have experimented with this and, dear god, you feel grotty on Monday without the weekend to recover) not only for crew rest but also because it effectively becomes a “AllNighter or Joker: pick One” situation atm and I feel like loads of people will wanna go to both, and at that point, we’re mostly good on the doubles (or alternatives) front. Idk, I feel like the vibes are collectively a bit Panic atm, and writing it out like that makes me feel better.
(*) are we reading anything into the fact that Cinema Paradiso and Phantom Thread both bombed? I expected them to do well and also they both had the Anniversary promo behind them, but ig we don’t really have any good quality evidence either way from previous years.
Aaaalso, I know people are a bit Interstellar-ed out (myself included) but this strategically rather well-timed re-release* could be an opportunity to get the 70mm from Warner for circa normal 35mm price instead of paying Park Circus through the nose, plus, idk, maaaybe it feels a bit daft to have shown it for so many years but not for the 10th anniversary.
I fought like hell against getting the 70mm print of Interstellar the one and only time we’ve shown it and I was very, very wrong – it is spectacular and made the then-CP get a bit teary bc she couldn’t believe it was film (it was also the first 70mm we’d done in years, just to make this sound a bit less unhinged).
(I’m assuming this won’t be in Welcome Week or tbh anywhere near it, because someone else who sells more popcorn will be after the print for the actual to-the-day anniversary, but if WB have the rights back with them long enough for us to get towards the front of the queue for the back end of term…)
(*) obvs I spend a lot of time banging on about re-releases being bad because it just means everyone around us is showing the same thing at the same time and we end up fighting directly with WAC, but you’d imagine that a Nolan film is going to have a big see-it-on-film push behind it and it’s not as though anyone remotely nearby can actually do this. (bc we are untouchably awesome <3 )
i back this. The hype for the 70mm re-release is building, and interstellar always does well. I am also slightly biased on this but I would love to see it in 70, given how expensive, and limited, bfi tickets are
i still reckon beetlejuice beetlejuice would be good in halloween week maybe? its got jenna ortega, winona ryder, catherine o’hara so some big names, plus it’s tim burton and i think that could attract a decent crowd, especially if it’s in a halloween slot. uk theatrical release if 6 september so i don’t know about turnaround times as to whether we could get it for halloween week but i think it’s a good film that will get some hype around it
also sasquatch sunset! produced by ari aster and also has a cute poster so i think might be fun? action adventure comedy according to imdb. but seems pretty divisive on letterboxd so just throwing it out there as a loose suggestion if we want another new release to fill any gaps (comes out june 14th in the uk)
close to you? new elliot page film, always lovely to see some representation of trans actors on the screen so could be nice november is trans history month and november 20 is trans day of remembrance so i would love to see something for this if possible, even if it’s a different film like tomboy (celine sciamma)
close to you is allegedly being released end of august this year, according to imdb. although i’ve found a preview screening as part of bristol pride (mid july) so you bet i’m going to that hehe can give a review and see whether it’s worth putting on
it doesn’t have a confirmed date yet but the sebastian stan donald trump biopic (the apprentice) should be out towards the end of this year. might end up being a term 2 thing if it’s like right at the end but potentially worth keeping an eye on?
november is trans history month and november 20 is trans day of remembrance so i would love to see something for this if possible, even if it’s a different film like tomboy (celine sciamma)