So the new releases arrive on our local screens but not the Independant voices, the small scale cinema from across the world make it to a few screens mostly in major cities, they maybe still brilliant examples  of film and story telling, they  may still win awards across the globe, and in the ways of telling honest stories they will rarely include famous actors but they deserve your interest and attention.

85% of films do not get onto our screens- what a waste-what a loss to our understanding and enjoyment of this planet and its many, many different moments….

I hope by now that ‘I Daniel Blake’ will be a film we in this rural community can view on our local ‘Independant’ screens-

We are very fortunate to have two small scale cinemas but too often they are showing exactly the same films- working in competition rather than widening the choice of what we can enjoy- (they are often at the mercy of  what programmes distributors choose to offer them.)

There are several village pop up cinemas amplified by festivals like Borderlands (over the border)annually which bring outstanding and often unknown work to village hall screens- the support and growth of these alternatives has not shown itself in the Forest- but we have two small scale options so we shouldn’t need to set things up as the only way to view the ‘other films’

Ken Loach made his name with ‘Kes’ in 1969, he is no newcomer, his films have always attracted both acclaim and an audience, Eric Cantona acted in ‘Looking For Eric’ about a postman and his mates supporting him through a crisis in his life because it was a great script and because of Loach’s reputation as a great and humane director.

3 or so weeks ago Woody Allen’s latest film ‘Cafe Society’ ran for a week at the Palace in Cinderford – it was ok, it earned no great awards- it drew not many people on the night I went- which is fair enough- however why does ‘I Daniel Blake’ a UK film supported by BBC films finance, winner of a major award at Cannes Film festival  get judged as ‘a loss leader’ and a month later still waiting to find a local screen??

Go ask the question, call, e mail, drop in at the Studio in Coleford and/or the Palace in Cinderford and I hope to see you at one of  the screenings and bring a friend who may not have heard of Ken Loach…