About Ayr Film Society
Welcome to this our 52nd season, providing Ayr with an entertaining, interesting, thought-provoking and eclectic mix of contemporary, classic, European, Asian, Latin American and African films as well as animations and documentaries (all screened with English subtitles where available) – as we say “World Cinema on your doorstep” – at Ayr Town Hall. Collaborations with Alliance Française, Goethe Institut (FOKUS festival) and the Africa in Motion Festival (AiM) enables us to screen titles that would otherwise not be available to general cinema audiences. We are also proud to collaborate with local charities to provide charity screening opportunities. One of the most anticipated screenings each year is our Silent Movie presentation, in collaboration with Ayr Arts Guild, which has live music accompaniment, on the Town Hall iconic Lewis Organ – an evening not to be missed !
We actively encourage the community as we recognize, embrace and hopefully inject a suitable variety of cinematic delights to complement the diverse range of cultural and leisure activities on offer within the local community. The society actively collaborates with the flourishing cultural and arts community in Ayr.
Programme notes are provided every week, and at the end of each film, the society invites members and guests to anonymously write comments and grade the screening from 'excellent' to 'dreadful'.
Ayr Film Society is a registered charity in Scotland (OSCR charity number: SC 006980). We are affiliated with Ayr Arts Guild, Cinema for All, Film Hub Scotland and Screen Scotland.
Committee
Tony Scott (Chair), Ron Currie (Treasurer & Administrator), John Callan, (Projectionist and Website Manager) Eibhlin Corrigan, Annique Armstrong, (Minutes Secretary) Ron Archibald, Katherine McNab, (Vice Chair) Duncan McNab.
History
The inaugural meeting of the proposed Ayr Film Society was in November 1972 held by a group of 5 individuals passionate about film and about sharing this with other individuals in the community. there were about 20 individuals in attendance. At the inaugural film of the original Ayr Film Society (January 1973) membership was charged £1 for a season of five feature films for season January - May 1973.
The first screening was on Sunday 14th January 1973, (the title we’ve still to establish); the Spanish title ‘Viridiana’ with a local archive short ‘Ayrshire, Auld Land Syne’ was the second screening on Sunday 11th February 1973.
In 1978, in conjunction with the local teacher training college, Craigie College, we amalgamated due to the expansion of our society and the decimation of the college society. At that point we amended our name to Ayr and Craigie College Film Society, later to be truncated to Ayr and Craigie Film Society in 1992 when the college became part of Paisley University.
Latterly when Paisley University (Craigie Campus) became the Ayr campus of the University of the West of Scotland, we reverted to using our original name Ayr Film Society. We screened films at the Craigie College lecture theatre until March 2011.
Sadly, the society was without a home during part of the 2011-12 Season. During this time, the number of screenings was reduced from 18 to just six for a half-season English language films only, January 2012 - March 2012.
These movies were screened at Prestwick Bowling Club. In September 2012, a new permanent home was secured in Ayr Town Hall for the start of our 40th season, where we now screen over 20 films each Season.
Special thanks to all of you, members, guests and volunteer committee members throughout the years, without whom we would not have made it this far.
