Films on show in Trowbridge Town Hall

Every Friday in June from 7.30pm a new film will be shown at Trowbridge Town Hall.

In the socially distanced screening, people are free to enjoy a programme of incredible films such as Sound of Metal, Saint Maud, Minari and Maite Alberdi’s documentary, The Mole Agent.

Cinema seating inside Trowbridge Town Hall

In 2017, film programmer Lorena Pino Montilla organised the first film at the town hall under the umbrella, she said “of bringing people together through films”.

“I always wanted to show films in Trowbridge,” she said. “The West Wiltshire Multi-faith Forum allowed me to organise an International Women’s Day with film.”

Over the years, Lorena has brought people together through 15 film events appealing to Trowbridge’s different communities.

This new weekly programme seeks to offer independent films to a wider audience in the county town.

“We’ve been in a very difficult situation with Covid and lockdown and cinema has been changing a lot,” she said.

“The idea is to get together to watch it, like a social event.”

Ms Pino Montilla said the screenings are there to be an alternative to the Odeon already in Trowbridge with the programme offering film buffs showings that have not arrived in commercial cinemas.

The programme for July is currently being planned with Lorena saying that

These film showings were made possible with support from BFI Film Audience Network awarding funds from the National Lottery, as well as new equipment funded by an over £8,000 grant from the Trowbridge Area Board.

"They (BFI FAN) want to promote the reopening of cinemas and at the same time Trowbridge Area Board funded the new equipment," she said.

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A post of the town hall's website said: "Cinemas are reopening after a long period of uncertainty and big changes for the sector.

"In the middle of this transformation, we are launching a new weekly offer at Trowbridge Town Hall. This is moved by passion and the conviction that nothing compares to the collective experience of watching a film on the big screen and more after being for more than a year living through three lockdowns.

"We are all looking for some ways to connect, going out with friends, family or just by ourselves and we are working to offer an attractive and different film programme based on independent, British and world cinema!"

The first film, Sound of Metal, opened to a packed room of cinema lovers. The film centres around a metal drummer named Ruben Stone (played by Riz Ahmed) whose hearing suddenly deteriorates.

British horror/drama film, Saint Maud is the next film and will be shown on June 11.