I realised I've not posted much about the new job this year. I've been very busy but very happy. Not had time to take to my photos but I'll try change that.
Got intrigued by my top 20 highest-grossing films. I guess unsurprisingly it's dominated by NT titles and films we've done a lot outdoors.
If it wasn't for covid, I reckon Little Women and Parasite would have made it. Conclave, The Death of Stalin, Knives Out and Banshees of Inisherin also knocking on the door.
"one is asked to believe that these machines are engaged quite furiously in the mass production of nothing that is ever used"
Fascinating reading HG Wells' review of Metropolis. He thought the film's depiction of an ultra-wealthy elite making money from nothing whilst living alongside an underclass with no spending power was nonsense.
This evening we were joined by Dr Gary Bettinson from @soalancasteruniversity who introduced In the Mood for Love in celebration of the film's 25th anniversary (and the 10th anniversary of his book The Senusous Cinema of Wong Kar Wai).
Ben Wheatley is coming to Lancaster.
Join the director of Sightseers, Kill List and A Field in England for a screening of his new film Bulk, followed by a Q&A.
Tickets: /whats-on/cinema/bulk-15-with-ben-wheatley
16 years ago, I was a (not great) summer projectionist and an usher at The Dukes when the Film Programmer left. There had been a period of change, so I saw my chance and burst into the producer's office, asking if I could help before the next person arrived. Thankfully, she said yes, and those two months of helping turned into me becoming that next person.
The Front of House manager at the time told me not to stay more than three years in case I went mad. But every time the thought passed through my mind, there was always a new challenge to overcome, a new ambition to pursue or a pandemic to recover from. I got training, I got to programme film, then theatre, comedy and live performance. I got to screen films in different venues - outdoors, in churches, shopping centres, castles, dungeons, town halls, mobile cinemas and the ceiling of an art gallery. I got to book for other venues, go to film festivals and theatre festivals and then got to create our own. The organisation even helped me go back to university. I’ve lucked out and got to work with and learn from a big family of the most creative, generous and supportive people imaginable. There have been mistakes and difficulties, but more often than not, it’s been an absolute joy.
Of course, the buried lede here is that my time at The Dukes will be coming to an end at the end of the year. I have known for a while that I’m ready for a new challenge, but I’ve been blindsided by how heartbreaking the prospect of leaving the current team has been. It’s an honour to work with so many inspirational people on a daily basis. We’re always onto the next event, and I don’t think even we always get to fully appreciate the sheer scale of output The Dukes achieves every year.
I’m looking forward to a new adventure, but for now, there are still films to book. I will never fully be able to express my gratitude to The Dukes, all my colleagues past and present, all the partners who’ve worked with me and all the audiences who have come through the doors. It’s been an absolute privilege.
Thank you.
