Planning for The 6th Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival has started!

The Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival is back for its sixth year. It’s my first time helping on the festival, so I’m finding out how it all works. We had our second planning meeting on Wednesday 26th February at All Saints Church Hall in Blenheim Grove, Peckham, where we started to thrash out what films we’d like to show at this year’s festival, and at what venues. Meetings are all very chilled and easy-going, if there’s a film you fancy showing, and a venue in the SE15 area where you’d like to see it screened, you just suggest it, there’s a bit of discussion and if it all seems practical then it should go ahead.

Some amazing films have been suggested so far together with lots of venues across SE15, from classic pubs such as the White Horse on Peckham Rye, The Old Nun’s Head in Nunhead and several Tenants’ and Residents’ Halls to the atmospheric Asylum Road Chapel and cosy Rye Books. All of these have to be negotiated and confirmed, of course. Films have to be agreed, film licenses bought and a whole other load of logistical stuff has to take place right up to and during the festival.

At last year’s festival, over 300 people came to an amazing outdoor screening of Oh Brother Where Art Thou on Peckham Rye. There were lots of other great events too, including a screening of Derek Jarman’s War Requiem at All Saints Church, Blenheim Grove, a film set to Benjamin Britten’s musical composition of the same name; a series of short films were shown at the wildlife garden at Northfield House just off the Old Kent Road, and a screening of Chaplin’s Modern Times went down a treat at The Ivy House pub on Stuart Road. Meetings take place once a month (there’s no meeting in March, next meeting 16 April), it’s all very relaxed and informal and everyone is welcome.

It would be great to have some new volunteers, anyone interested, just check the website for dates/venues of meetings and come and join us!

Louise Kimpton Nye