Edinburgh Filmhouse has announced plans to expand its online programme of screenings for over 60s.
In February, Filmhouse began a pilot programme called Senior Selections at Home, where people were invited to get together on Zoom to discuss a film they had all watched on BBC iPlayer. Since then, Filmhouse has developed its own online movie platform, called Filmhouse at Home – and this will let the team of senior volunteers handpick the films to show for future Senior Selections at Home events.
The first season includes Minari, Breathless, Bait and starts with a screening of The Rider, by Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao. As part of its ongoing commitment to access, all films chosen for Senior Selections at Home will have captions available and attendees will receive a discount code to access the film, making the whole event FREE to access.
The Filmhouse team will also be offering some simple digital training in how to participate in Senior Selections at Home, so that everyone who wants to join can have a chance to do so.
Yvonne Gordon, Head of Community Engagement and Learning at Filmhouse said: “I am really proud to launch Senior Selections at Home on Filmhouse at Home. We have all missed welcoming our older audience members to the cinema and were delighted to see so many of them engage with us when we trialled online events earlier in the year. We also attracted newcomers, who hadn’t been to any of our cinema based sessions. I am very keen to continue to offer a service to this online community and recognise that not everyone is able to come to us – so we can come to them! Now we’ve all got used to Zoom, break out rooms, chat boxes and watching films from home, we hope to continue to build our online audience for Senior Selections at Home. I am confident that using Filmhouse at Home will let us share films that are full of surprise and delight – and give us plenty to talk about after the movie, over our favourite beverage! I am grateful to our supporters and funders who allow us to offer this programme for free. Access is at the heart of all we do and Senior Selections is an excellent example of this.”
Senior Selections at Home is free to attend, but places are limited so booking is essential to avoid disappointment. Sign up links will be released monthly on the Filmhouse website.
Tuesday 13 July 2pm (The Rider)
Tuesday 10 August 2pm (Minari)
Tuesday 14 September 2pm (Breathless)
Tuesday 12 October 2pm (Bait)
You can already sign up for the event on Tuesday 13 July where everyone will be watching The Rider via the Eventbrite link below:
Training sessions will be held on Zoom on Wednesday 7 July and Thursday 8 July at 2pm. To join one of the sessions please email education@cmi-scotland.co.uk . Filmhouse personnel will walk you through the process, from signing up on Eventbrite to creating an account and using Filmhouse at Home.
Filmhouse thank supporters who make Senior Selections possible: The Foyle Foundation, JTH Charitable Trust and all those who wish to remain anonymous.
Filmhouse at Home is supported by the Weston Culture Fund.
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