Whanganui Film Society is gearing up to screen beloved masterpieces and cult classics

Whanganui Film Society president Jude Lydia is looking forward to the first 2023 screening, at the Davis Theatre in March. Photo / Supplied

Whanganui Film Society (WFS) has just released its 2023 programme, a bumper offering of diverse films from around the world delivered straight to the screen at Whanganui Regional Museum’s Davis Theatre.

The 2023 season opens on Monday, March 6, with a classic film noir starring Humphrey Bogart and Tony Curtis. The Sweet Smell of Success is a bitter farce about a venomous gossip columnist (Burt Lancaster) and his soulless lackey (Tony Curtis). Criterion describes it as “a delirious, almost-nostalgic wallow in old-school corruption”.

The society aims to bring the best of international cinema to Whanganui, and this year’s 36-film programme is a testament to that commitment. The 2023 programme includes films from Japan, Senegal, Australia, Romania, Macedonia, and Burkina Faso. President Jude Lydia says she is “looking forward to walking down memory lane with the two New Zealand films, Smash Palace and Sleeping Dogs”. Cult classics The Wicker Man, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and David Cronenberg’s Crash round out the programme. President Jude Lydia says it will be her first time watching Taxi Driver and can’t wait to watch it with her film society friends.

WFS is run by a volunteer committee and is part of the New Zealand Federation of Film Societies. There are 15 societies nationwide that exist with support and programming provided by staff at the International Film Festival office in Wellington. Jude joined the film society when she moved to Whanganui.

She says “Arriving from Auckland and being aware that while the International Film Festival movies were not screened in Whanganui, the very best alternative would be the Whanganui Film Society. And it has been!

“At less than $4 per film, WFS offers great value for its members. Come and enjoy our curated programme of interesting and entertaining cinema on Monday nights.”

Annual membership is open to all. WFS offers a full-year membership as well as a three-film sampler for people who want to come along before committing to a year’s membership. The three-film sampler can then be easily upgraded to a full membership. They offer a half-year membership that can also be upgraded. Your local membership can even be used at other film society screenings throughout the country.

WFS screenings are on Monday nights at 7 o’clock. Go to www.nzfilmsociety.org.nz/whanganui.html for more information and to join.