Considering an evening out, but want to stay local, then a film at Pine Grove Pictures in Crowborough Community Centre could be the answer. Since showing their first film, Midnight in Paris, in 2014 they have provided film entertainment on one Friday evening of every month.
Films are chosen to appeal to a wide audience and Pine Grove Pictures is not in any sense an exclusive film club. Anyone is very welcome to attend a film. Tickets cost £8 and can either be purchased in advance from the Community Centre (which is on the left hand side as you drive down Pine Grove) or J & K Gallery in Croft Road or bought on the door. Some decide to become members, since at a cost of £8 per annum, it reduces the ticket price to £5 (or £4 for 60+ and students) and means that they receive regular newsletters informing them of latest developments and future films. A full programme of the films to be shown during 2019 is available on the Pine Grove Pictures website www.pinegrovepictures.org.uk or as leaflets in the racks at the Community Centre.
The aim of this group is to provide affordable cinema on the doorstep of all residents of Crowborough and the surrounding area. The film shows are also seen by many as an opportunity for a social event, to meet friends and neighbours at a venue close to home and perhaps enjoy a drink from the bar which opens at 7pm prior to the performance at 8pm. Pre film meals are also available from the Community Centre Café. New state of the art projection and sound equipment was installed in the Community Centre in late 2018 and is in use by Pine Grove Pictures.
This not for profit community cinema is run by a small group that forms the committee and is aided by volunteers taking important roles such as projectionists, ticket sellers, bar staff, website designers etc. They found that even with a film each month they struggled to cover all genres and meet all tastes. This led to the extension of “Pine Grove Extra” where five additional films are shown throughout the year, on a Tuesday evening, giving film goers a chance to see World Cinema, Classics and Art House Films.
As featured in issue 86 | July/August 2019
