Talkies founder David Williamson. His unusual eye condition was caused by watching too many filmsTalkies Community Cinema is five years old this month!
Talkies opened its doors for the first time on 23rd October 2012 at St Monica's Parish Centre in Cannon Hill to a sell out crowd of 40 people.
Founder David Williamson says, "We'd been running a friends film club in our own homes for many years and enjoyed the combination of a social occasion interrupted by a film. We didn't know if anyone would turn up to our first public event, but the formula seemed to work for others so we thought we'd give it a go. Five years on we are still doing it!".
That small event at St Monica's was the germ of something much bigger. Steve Foster, another key mover behind the Talkies project, has been keeping the statistics: "In the past five years we have had 134 events across 16 venues and have sold 12,000 tickets. In total, and including shorts, we've screened no fewer than 230 films!".
The first film shown by Talkies was A Man of No Ambition, the man in question being Ralph Hutchings. He was present in person, appropriately behatted, at last week's screening of Battleship Potemkin.David and Steve both recognise that Talkies couldn't exist without the amazing work of a committed band of volunteers and the amazing support from their largely local audience. Which makes Talkies much more than a film club - it's a proper community group.
So which events stand out for the two Talkies founders? Classic silent films accompanied by live music played on church organs? Outdoor screenings in Broomfield Park? Or what about the treasures of world cinema brought to local audiences at the Dugdale Centre?
"All those highlights, of course," says David. "But our proudest achievement has been to reinvest any surplus that we make into commissioning new short films from young film makers. Fourteen to date, with another four in the pipeline. And some of these films have gone on to win national and international awards, making Palmers Green in its own small way the Hollywood of North London!"