Melita Farley and Kevin Double offer a unique cinema experience that will include Friday screenings this year. Photo / Bevan Conley
When you book to see a film at the Confluence boutique cinema in Watt St you can opt for a beanbag, recliner, sofa, upright wooden chair or designated wheelchair space.
It's a home away from home experience where proprietor Kevin Double offers some background prior to each screening and a small audience offers the opportunity for a post-film discussion.
Double and partner Melita Farley operate as Double Farley Creative Partners and established Confluence as a social enterprise co-working space.
"We were initially looking to rent office space for ourselves," Farley, who is an adult education specialist, said.
Filmmaker Double immediately visualised a cinema space when he saw the room that would be big enough for seating and a big screen.
They began providing Thoughtful Thursday documentary screenings in 2018 and in 2019 they showed 49 films and sold 775 tickets.
Included in the schedule were 11 screenings where proceeds from ticket sales were donated to local charities.
The donations amounted to almost $1500.
A tidy sum considering that tickets sell for $10 and the cinema has a maximum seating capacity for 40 people.
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"We pay the licence fees for the films and everything that's left is donated to a local organisation," said Farley.
The themes of charity screenings are often related to the organisations that receive donations.
The Whanganui Women's Network received the proceeds from She Shears.
Written and directed by Jack Nicol, the film follows five charismatic female shearers on their journey towards the world championship of shearing, The Golden Shears.
Whanganui Green Bikes benefitted from the income generated at the screening of Afghan Cycles.
Sarah Menzies' film is about a group of women in Afghanistan who embrace the power and freedom of riding bicycles despite cultural barriers, oppression and death threats.
The range of New Zealand and international documentaries have covered a wide spectrum of subjects and while some are a few years old others are very recently made.
"Someone told me they thought all the documentaries we screen are old but we have managed to get some very recent ones," said Double.
"There have been some where we've been able to contact the filmmakers directly and get permission to screen their recent work."
In 2020, they want to increase their charitable donations by offering Friday night film screenings where all the profits will be donated to Whanganui organisations.
Fulfilling Fridays will commence with a first screening February 14.
"We want to give people an enjoyable viewing experience while helping to support their community at the same time."
Farley said people who have attended the Thoughtful Thursday screenings have made suggestions about films they would like to see.
"We work co-operatively with The Embassy and the Whanganui Film Society.
"It is about giving Whanganui audiences different options."
Double said it encouraging to see that people are returning to cinemas and crave the experience of watching films with an audience.
"Some of the Thoughtful Thursday screenings are quite thought-provoking and we have found that people like to stay and chat about their reactions afterwards.
"Fulfilling Fridays won't be restricted to documentary film, although may include some, but is about experiencing some of the best cinematic storytelling together with your fellow audience members."
Fulfilling Fridays will begin on February 14 with the screening of Benedikt Erlingsson's 2019 film Woman at War.
NZ Herald reviewer Francesca Rudkin has described the Icelandic film as "more than just a thriller."
"It's an unusual comment, but this thriller will put a smile on your face," she wrote.
She describes the film's main character Halla (Halldora Geirharosdottir) as an unlikely hero in a knitted cardigan.
The Whanganui screening is also a celebration of Whanganui women's festival La Fiesta and ticket sale proceeds will be donated to the Whanganui Women's Network.
Farley said the impetus to donate the ticket sale proceeds is a way for Double Farley to help enrich the community.
"We don't have lots of money to chuck around but this is a way we can help while giving people a good experience at the same time."
Suggestions are also welcome for Whanganui organisations to receive donations, she said.
Double said it is gratifying that people asking intelligent assistant Siri for advice on their Apple devices now receive information about Confluence screenings.
"Unfortunately were are not licensed to sell refreshments but people can bring their own," he said.
"We get people coming in early on Thoughtful Thursdays and bringing their dinner to eat before they watch the film."
Thoughtful Thursday screenings resume this week with Hillary: Ocean to Sky.
Michael Dillon's feature-length documentary revisits his award-winner From the Ocean to the Sky, about Edmund Hillary's Ganges jet boat expedition.
The film screens at 6.30pm on Thursday, January 9, 15 Watt St. Ticket are $10 at the door (cash only) or book at www.confluence.kiwi or call 06 281 3474.
