Dear friends and supporters of the St. Andrews Film Society,
We, the board (Jane Dickson, Wilma Blokhuis, Ed Rice, Sylvia Humphries, Stratis and Carol Gavaris, Larry Lack and Lee Ann Ward), met last Sunday afternoon to discuss future films and the future of the film society. Late last fall we had sent out a poll to get feedback from you all as we decide whether to forge ahead with the film society or not. We appreciate all the responses we received, and were encouraged by many of you to continue showing movies on the (fairly) big screen here at the arena theatre.
Overall, most folks seem satisfied with the current time and day(s) of our screenings. Our audiences may have waned in part due to technology (live streaming, downloading, Netflix, all the other online options, bigger TV screens, more movies on cable and satellite, etc.), along with plain old Sunday night inertia, and perhaps the choice of films on a particular evening. We'll make an effort to choose more entertaining films that aren't available online. We'll also try to schedule some of our documentaries as special events or series on evenings other than Sundays.
(Larry and Lee Ann are planning some documentary screenings independent of the film society, starting with "Gasland," the influential doc that has never been shown publicly in Charlotte County. Good time to show it now that serious prospecting by the frackers is starting on the ridges behind St. Stephen).
A few complaints about the theatre being cold or musty have been passed on to arena staff and to Sue Rangeley of the St. Andrews Centre for the Arts, and as a result the theatre now has a dehumidifier in action which has brought a big improvement in the air quality. The heating system has also been repaired.
Our income from donations and memberships has decreased significantly over the last few years. We'd like to encourage people to continue supporting the film society with their annual membership ($10 for individuals, $15 for families). Since we don't want to spend time on keeping records that we could be spending on finding and arranging to show good films, we're asking that folks consider paying their memberships each New Year, or on their birthday, or on some other annual date easy for you to remember. We need this income so we can continue to pay for our licenses and films.
If our financial situation doesn't improve by the end of the year, we may be forced to drop one of our two licenses, which would cut our expenses but also limit our film choices significantly. We feel encouraged, however, that the great lineup of films we've selected for screening over the coming year will draw many of our members back to our films (and also attract new members), and we look forward to seeing you all at the arena theatre soon.
Please do what you can to help us get back on track financially and encourage folks you know to attend our screenings and become members.
Best from all of us,
The St. Andrews Film Society Board
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