A Bunch of Amateurs (2022)

A very special day for us. Our tenth anniversary celebrations began with a splendid afternoon cream tea in the sunshine (thanks to Karen, Rachel and the team) and later included an uplifting short film about RCC by Jeanne.

A Bunch Of Amateurs (2022) was very appropriately chosen for our evening film. It’s a touching portrait of Bradford Movie Makers, Britain’s oldest amateur film-making club. 

Skilled director Kim Hopkins sees the wider story.  She sensitively shows us the members’ challenges; getting older, loss, ill health, the onset of Covid, society’s interests changing. We found it “incredibly poignant.”

The film celebrates the power of creativity and community. We see how important it is for the members to meet face to face and support each other through the tough times. At the beginning of the documentary, three are compassionate care givers.

We were delighted to welcome Dave Marshall from Bradford Movie Makers on Zoom and our discussion became a Q and A.  He told us how the club continues to survive, with some of the same issues that were highlighted in A Bunch Of Amateurs.  As with many a group, there is a struggle getting younger people on board.  There was now easy access to film making – in the past it was a “rich man’s hobby” - with the cost of equipment being highly expensive.

We talked about how the film was shaped by the director and editor. 93 hours of film was made, edited to 93 minutes. The cast didn’t know the story path until they saw the finished article. The “phenomenal” landlord was mentioned, for his understanding of the club’s financial issues.

The documentary’s representation of the Covid days really communicated the uncertainty and pain of those times and will be a record for future generations.

We look forward to seeing Dave’s Bradford In The Frame documentary and hope we can keep in touch with the club, as we are now Honorary Members.

This was a documentary with a heart, celebrating the power of support, caring and kindness. A feelgood film for a feelgood day.  Thanks to Eugene, Karen and all who volunteer. Here’s to the next ten years!

Anne

PS. by Eugene. You can catch the 10 minute film 'Bradford in the Frame 2021' at https://youtu.be/WkuxETXP_PU