British Federation of Film Societies

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The British Federation of Film Societies (or BFFS) is an organisation which allows independent film societies across the UK a shared resource and means of communication.

The current president of the British Federation of Film Societies is Derek Malcolm.

[edit] Early History of the BFFS

On 25th October 1925, The Film Society held its first meeting at the New Gallery Kinema in Regent Street, London. Founder members of The Film Society included Anthony Asquith, Sidney Bernstein, Ivor Montagu, H G Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Augustus John and Maynard Keynes. The first show included the feature film The Waxworks (directed by Paul Leni) and Champion Charlie, a Chaplin short. That first season of The Film Society consisted of ten performances with a total number of 39 films, 20 of which had never been screened in England before. This was one of the primary objectives of the society: to screen more of the avant-garde material which had not found an outlet in the commercial cinema. Screenings were only part of the meetings with exhibitions of artwork, lectures and discussions all contributing to the ethos of the event. During the late 1920's and the early 30's, more film societies were set up in Billingham, Cambridge, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ipswich, Manchester, Oxford and Southampton. Cinemas began to follow the societies by showing foreign films and by 1932 there was conflict - The Leeds Film Group was prevented from showing films by the film trade and their venue, the Savoy Theatre, was taken over and opened as the Leeds Academy Cinema.^[1]

Its members include Film Unit from the University of Sheffield Union of Students, Bradford Student Cinema (currently closed for refurbishment) and "Film on Thursday"in West Norwood.

It is based in The Workstation, in Sheffield's Cultural Industries Quarter.