Scotland’s Most Southerly Cinema, Isle of Whithorn
It's more than just a film club....
Machars Movies is an exciting new venture bringing critically acclaimed films and a highly social cinema experience to the communities of the Machars.
Bringing communities together with the BIG SCREEN...
Screenings take place in the newly refurbished St. Ninian’s Hall Cinema at the Isle of Whithorn.
Showdates are either on Thursdays or Saturdays, and occasionally some films may be timed to support other local events. For a list of forthcoming screenings simply check the schedule below.
Non-members: £5 per screening.
Membership
Machars Movies is run as a self-funding venture - membership fees cover only the cost of putting on films and the hire of the Cinema, so your support by joining is vital in enabling us to plan ahead. Annual membership is £30. (Concessions £25). This will entitle you to attend all sixteen screenings in the 2010 programme at the privileged Members’ price of just £2 per show.
Become a member...
Click here for more information
The Isle of Whithorn
Machars Movies News
At a special reception held at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on 8th December, MACHARS MOVIES learned that it had received the Scottish Countryside Alliance ‘Best Rural Enterprise’ Award for 2009.
This small community cinema, the most southerly in Scotland at the Isle of Whithorn, and serving the small villages and towns of the Machars Peninsula in Wigtownshire came into being in April 2009, thanks to a grant from Scottish Screen’s Digital Projection Equipment Fund awarded last January. Coupled with further support funding from the Isle of Whithorn’s community Regeneration charity, Isle Futures; the Scottish Arts Council and Dumfries & Galloway Council’s Village Hall Improvement Scheme, and along with much voluntary labour, St Ninian’s Hall – the home of Machars Movies - is now an all-purpose venue complete with an 80-seat cinema.
It is one of 11 licensed Cinemas in Dumfries & Galloway, and following an inaugural season of well-attended monthly screenings, Machars Movies’ 2010 programme, selected by popular vote of the cinema’s patrons, has been drawn up. It will be launched on Thursday, December 10th, and full details can be found on the cinema website www.macharsmovies.co.uk
Entrants for the awards are nominated by the public and judged by a panel of experts who visited the companies and individuals shortlisted for the categories. Each of the categories highlights important elements of community life in rural Scotland, and each year the awards attract an increasing number of nominations.
Presenting the Awards, Mr John Lamont, MSP for Roxburgh & Berwickshire, said: “These awards recognise the hard work and innovation of businesses and organisations which are vital to rural Scotland.”
Mike Marshall, who is the Chair for Machars Movies, and Kenny Barr, Chair of Isle Futures, the community Regeneration Charity expressed their delight at the accolade: “Machars Movies and the Cinema
facility that we now have has become a vital component in ensuring that a viable business can be developed around the community’s most vital social asset – its village hall. In the short space of eighteen months a run-down building has been taken over by the community and transformed into a venue with considerable business potential. But equally important, we are providing a new, highly social focus within the Machars where surrounding communities can participate and share in the great experience of the moving image. At last we can tap into the great wealth of material that is available for us all to see, to be entertained, and occasionally be challenged, no matter what age.”
Films coming soon...
Please check this page regularly for information about forthcoming screenings as scheduled programmes may be likely to change at short notice.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - 'There Willl Be Blood'.
A gripping saga of obsession, corruption, and poisonous greed; this is a masterly, unwavering inspection of a consummately evil man whose trailblazing spirit is equalled only by his murderous ambition. In addition to stunning visuals and an exceptional, captivating score, the incredible Academy Award winning performance as Plainview by Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) and the staggering portrayal of Eli Sunday by Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine) this is an intelligent, thought-provoking, and powerfully-eccentric epic masterpiece that is as enchanting as it is timeless. (Cert 15 - 152 mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - 'The Bridges of Madison County'.
Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood) is a romantic drifter on his way to photograph an historic bridge for National Geographic. He meets Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep), and an innocent friendship evolves into a tender, torrid and unforgettable four-day affair which they carry in their hearts for the next 24 years. Very few film adaptations outshine the book they are based on - this is a rare exception. (Cert 12 - 129 mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - Small and Beautiful - A Night of Shorts.
Not one movie for you to feast your eyes on tonight - but a whole clutch of short films, many of them international award-winners and which rarely get the chance to be seen on the commercial circuits. Includes the sylish comedy ‘The Banker’ - with Michael Sheen. A full listing will be posted clolser to the screening date (Cert 15) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Time: 7pm
Machars Movies presents - WARTIME CINEMA - 'Mrs Miniver'.
was more vital to the nation than a fleet of destroyers. Step back in time with us to the cinema of the 40’s - a Hollywood Oscar-winning portrait of Britain at war, together with shorts and newsreels of the time. This is the first of this year's Themed nights, so expect some surprises, as well as classic catering from the 1940's. Ration Books and Identity Cards will be issued... (Feature - 128 mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - CLASSIC COMEDY - 'Jour de Fete'.
The comic misadventures of François the village postman (Jacques Tati) as he tries to dispose of his letters at record speed in the style of the US mail service. With a mischevious hint of de Gaulle about him, his antics on a bicycle are endlessly inventive. A delightful look at the modern obsession with speed and efficiency. Only recently has the original colour version been restored. Subtitles. (Cert U - 87 mins)
Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - SIXTIES SCREEN - 'Tom Jones'.
Tom Jones, the adopted son of a British country squire, is a love-’em-and-leave-’em lady charmer who goes blithely from bed to bed, while managing to get into enough other mischief to come within moments of being hanged. This very funny film won 4 Oscars. Starring Albert Finney, Susannah York & Joyce Redman and Edith Evans. (Cert PG - 117 mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Time: 7pm
Machars Movies presents - 'The Deer Hunter'.
This epic look at the Vietnam War and its effects told through the lives of a tight-knit group of friends from Pennsylvania was Michael Cimino’s second film and established him in the pantheon of American directors. Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep each got an Academy Award nomination, and Christopher Walken’s portrayal of Nick, who survives capture but is unable to escape its trauma, is a tour de force that earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. (Cert 18 -182 mins) PLEASE NOTE EARLIER START TIME Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - 'Miss Potter'.
The delightful story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children’s book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and her struggle for love, happiness and success.
Starring Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Barbara Flynn, Matyelok Gibbs, Jane How, Anton Lesser (Cert PG - 92 mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - 'The Reader'.
In post-war Germany, a young man’s decades-long obsession with an older woman runs headlong into a war crimes trial, where he learns an awful truth. A story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another. Starring Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes. (Cert 15 - 122 mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - DOCUMENTARY NIGHT - 'Etre et Avoir'.
Etre et Avoir (To Be & To Have) was one of the official selection of films at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. At a rural school in the Auvergne region of France, teacher Georges Lopez presides over a class of thirteen children, ages 4 to 11. He gives separate lessons to the age groups, ensuring that each child understands the task at hand. The trust and respect the children have for him is as palpable as his affection for them. The camera is a casual observer, capturing Lopez’s special way with the students. Inspiring, meditative and delightful, the documentary is a bittersweet portrait of a man in the noblest of professions. Subtitles. (Cert U - 100 mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - 'Ladies in Lavender'.
A charming and sweetly melancholic story about two ageing spinster sisters whose peaceable Cornwall existence is disrupted when they take a young man into their care... and their hearts. This detailed 1930’s period drama is a nimbly told tale brimming with modern insight, celebrating the fact that the thrill of love can be ageless. With Judi Dench & Maggie Smith (Cert PG - 100mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Time: 7pm
Machars Movies presents - ITALIAN NIGHT - 'The Italian Job' with Michael Caine.
The all-time cult-classic of the 60’s, with the craziest car chase in movie history and an incredible cliff-hanger finale. Michael Caine & Noël Coward. (Cert PG - 95 mins)
This is our second themed night, and will have catering to match - Award-winning chef Douglas Lisi will be tempting us with his repertoire of Italian delectables. Bring your own vino! Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Time: 7pm
Machars Movies presents - 'The Boys and Girl from County Clare'.
Set in the late 1960s, the film hilariously and movingly tells the story of two estranged brothers who reunite in County Clare to face off against each other in the country’s biggest Ceilidh competition. When John Joe (Bernard Hill) discovers that Jimmy (Colm Meaney) has returned to Ireland from Liverpool to participate in the competition, the brothers’ troubled past is brought to light once again... (Cert 15 - 87 mins) The session starts at 7pm with the Machars Movies Annual General Meeting, and when we will finalise our programme for the 2012 Season. The Main Feature will screen at 8pm. Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - 'Doubt'.
Set in 1964, Doubt centres on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play’s quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality and authority. Starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman (Cert 15 - 104 mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Time: 7.30pm
Machars Movies presents - 'Dead Poet's Society'.
John Keating (Robin Williams) is an eccentric teacher who returns to teach in his childhood school. The message he gives to his students is to experience life for themselves. Consequently, several pupils reintroduce ‘Dead Poets Society’ of which Keating had been a past member. Secret, late night meetings take place as the pupils break out from the confines of the school. The film was nominated for four academy awards including Best Picture, Best Actor--Robin Williams and Best Original Screenplay. (Cert PG - 130 mins) Venue: St Ninian's Hall Cinema
About Machars Movies
Machars Movies - bringing critically acclaimed award-winning films and a highly social cinema experience to the communities of the Machars. Back in January 2009, thanks to funding from Scottish Screen and an enormous amount of volunteer effort, we were able to move forward with the creation of Scotland’s most southerly cinema at the Isle of Whithorn. By May, Machars Movies had become a reality. It’s hard to believe what has been achieved. Our very successful first season, thanks to the fantastic support shown by our Members as well as an appreciative number of visitors to our screenings, has laid the foundations for our second year. Sixteen films have been selected for the 2010 Season and, to meet demand, eight shows will be held on Saturdays.
Two themed nights will take place, and if last year's screening of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is anything to go by, these are certain to be extremely popular. Look out for announcements giving more information about these and our participation in the 2010 Wigtown Book Festival, and the first Dumfries & Galloway Film Festival, when we will have extra screenings.
Our Objectives
To advance the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of film as an art form, and as a medium for education and information. We will also promote artistic and technical creativity in audio-visual techniques within our communities.
Machars Movies Team
We are extremely grateful to the many enthusiasts from communities in the south Machars who have agreed to be part of the team to take this project forward.
The Committee for 2010 are:
- Kenny Barr
- Byron Chamberlain
- Kirsty Currie
- Ian Duncanson – Treasurer
- Jeanette Duncanson – Secretary
- Ian Fraser
- Lesley McKie
- Michael Marshall - Chair
- Jan Morris-Holmes
- David Sumner
- John Watkins
If you would like to contact Machars Movies: Call Mike Marshall on 01988 500284.
Membership
Membership is open to anyone over the age of 16*, and costs £30. (Concessions £25). This will entitle you to attend all sixteen screenings in the 2010 programme at the privileged Members’ price of just £2 per show.
Guest tickets at the door will cost £5, and young persons' tickets £2.
It's important to remember that seating at the Hall will be limited - so Membership will be similarly limited, and seat bookings will be on a first come, first served basis.
Download membership form (PDF document 675Kb)
Membership forms and full programme details are also available from:
- Isle of Whithorn (Post Office)
- Whithorn (Vickers Newsagent, Ravenstone Deli & The Library)
- Port William (The Paper Shop, South West Hardware & The Library)
- Garlieston (Mac's Stores)
- Wigtown (Box of Frogs, Machars Action & The Library)
You can also obtain membership packs from any Committee Member.
*To comply with the law, admission to screenings will be restricted according to the BBFC film rating.
We reserve the right to change the programme without notice. If you would like more information please call Mike Marshall on 01988 500284.
How can I help?
- Join Machars Movies – become a Member, get to see some great films and enjoy being part of a social group!
- Maybe you’re as inspired as we are and can help us plan and run events!
- If you are interested in being part of a film-making group we’d also like to hear from you!
Send us your comments...
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