Happy New Year!  I hope you had a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas.

Our December presentation ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’, while perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, was beautifully played by the two leads, hilariously funny while also providing much food for thought and very warmly received by those who attended.  I must apologise, however, that my Christmas pudding cheesecake hadn’t set properly, despite over 24 hours in the fridge. Nigella’s view is that the cream cheese needs to be at room temperature in the preparation – she’s probably right, but I suspect the Guiness and Cognac might also have been to blame.  Fortunately it tasted better than it looked.

Great news to start the New Year – the Parish Council has very generously agreed to give us a grant of £500, which is hugely appreciated.  We spent a large proportion of our contingency funds on a new projector last year, which meant that our bank balance has been dwindling perilously low.  The PC’s grant will certainly secure our immediate future and we are grateful for their kind support.  I’d like to add that the ingredients for my cakes are not charged to the Film Nights account, in case anyone suspects extravagance at the Parish Council’s expense!

Our New Season kicks off on Monday 9th January with a real crowd-pleaser : ‘Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’ (116 mins, Cert.PG – mild bad language).  In this delightful feel-good tale, Mrs Harris (the wonderful Lesley Manville), a widowed charlady in post-war London, falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, and decides that she must have one of her own.  Standing in her way is Dior’s frosty Parisian custodian of taste, Claudine Colbert (Isabelle Huppert). Jason Isaacs also stars.

Doors open 6.30pm, film starts 7.00pm at Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XD.  Back to the future with ticketing for the New Year : 

– Advance unreserved tickets will be available from Hawkchurch Community Shop at the reduced price of £5.50 (cash only);

– Advance reservations, including socially-distanced seating, are available also at £5.50 from csma95@gmail.com or leave a message on 01297 678176;

– Pay on the door for unreserved seating at £6.00.

We have a great new projector (give us a try if you haven’t been for a while) and subtitles for those who find them helpful.  Home-made cake and other delicious refreshments will be available.

Penny, Jacky, Paul and I hope to see you at the village hall.

Our next presentation will be ‘The Lost King’ on Monday 6th February.