Rye's film club given new lease of life

In August, the Observer reported that Rye Film Club, based at Rye Community Centre in Conduit Hill, looked set to abandon its movie showings for good due to dwindling numbers.

At one point more than 100 people went to the screenings, compared to around 20 now.

It had run the monthly screenings on the first Friday of every month for the last 18 years. The club added it was having to go ‘on stand-by’, saying it was no longer feasible to run the club in its present form.

But the film club announced this week that the public has stepped in and saved the group from closure.

Neale East, spokesman for Rye Film Club, said: “Thanks to the offer of generous sponsorship from The George in Rye and an anonymous private benefactor, Rye Film Club has been given a new lease of life.

“We will be concentrating on showing classic films and foreign language productions at Rye Community Centre on the first Friday of each month.”

The club, which has around 300 members, has shown all types of movies over the last 18 years, ranging from major blockbusters to foreign cinema. Starting next Friday (November 4), the club will be screening Ida, a Polish film, set in 1960s Poland. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.

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