FOR 90 years, a group of film enthusiasts have been meeting up in Bradford to make their own movies. Some productions are on an ambitious scale - they even made a colour film in the 1940s, when such a thing was in its infancy.
Now the Bradford Movie Makers - who meet every Monday evening in a backstreet building in Little Horton - have become a global sensation. Over recent days members of the world’s oldest amateur film club have appeared on national TV and radio, including BBC Breakfast and Radio 4’s Today programme. And Baz Lurhmann, Australian director of hit movies such as Moulin Rouge and Elvis, is said to be a fan and and keen to meet the little group.
It’s all thanks to the extraordinary success of A Bunch of Amateurs, a charming documentary about the Bradford Movie Makers, now on national release in cinemas, with five-star reviews. The joyful, touching 90-minute film, which follows members as they fight to keep their club going and remake a major musical, won the Audience Award, and a standing ovation, at this year’s Sheffield Doc Fest. It has had preview screenings at the BFI Southbank in London and a Bradford homecoming premiere at the National Science and Media Museum.
The film - directed and produced by Kim Hopkins under her Labor of Love Films banner, alongside co-founder Margareta Szabo and The BFI Doc Society Fund, with Glusburn-born Oscar-winner Simon Beaufoy as executive producer - is an affectionate tribute to a group of people who “cling to their dreams, fuelled by endless cups of tea”.
The club, with an ageing membership, is seen struggling to pay the rent for its building. Two years ago it almost closed. But what comes across in the film is the camaraderie, as well as the bickering, between people who share a passion for film, and seek solace from the challenges of life at their weekly meetings. It’s a gently comedic, profoundly moving portrait of shared creative enthusiasm and friendship, which speaks to the escapist dreamer in us all, and to the enduring power of spending time together in an increasingly lonely, digital age.
Joe Ogden is travelling the UK this week, with fellow club members, attending screenings of the new film, and Q&A sessions. “It’s like a wonderful dream,” he says. “I’m a hobbyist film maker - with a film credit in this top documentary. It’s amazing.
“People are getting in touch from within the industry. If Baz Lurhmann wants to pop along on a Monday night to the club, he can have a cuppa and a biscuit. Subs are free first few times...”
Adds Joe: “It’s important to keep grounded. I’m still volunteering with Disability Support on days we’re not at A Bunch of Amateurs Q&As in cinemas all over the UK. We’re thrilled with the success of the film - thank you to the people of Bradford, the Press, the cinemas and everyone involved.”
Bradford City of Film director David Wilson calls it “A film absolutely bursting with humanity”.
He adds: “The highs and lows of everyday people who dare to dream and remain committed to their craft despite all life’s challenges... This film will make you laugh and cry in equal measure. It is true to the people portrayed in it and a masterclass in documentary making.”
Kim Hopkins came across the club on social media. She says her film “is set in an area where outsiders are treated with eyebrow raising suspicion, and those wielding a camera are outright cold shouldered”.
“I was raised here, so I understand the local codes, working-class sensibilities and tough history,” she adds. “The ghosts of a prosperous industrial past are everywhere. These working-class folks are the collateral damage of an ideologically split society that at best ignores them, at worst somehow holds them responsible.
“Here, comedy has a very serious function - to ward off the devil, be that devil sadness, loneliness or the Grim Reaper himself. Laughter is a sort of survival mechanism to get you through the bad times. They are good, honest people, the so called ‘salt of the earth’. It is these sentiments that I wanted at the heart of A Bunch of Amateurs.”
Bradford Movie Makers, formerly Bradford Cine Club, was formed in 1932, but meetings were held from 1926. Its Little Horton base, where the club has been since 1935, has a small cinema room. The club’s oldest member is Colin Egglestone, 89, who joined 50 years ago.
One of the main principles of Bradford Movie Makers is that anyone can pick up a camera and learn to make a film. Some members specialise in skills such as visual effects, directing or cinematography. Other write, produce and act. Members make films for competitions and festivals. Making a film can take several weeks, or well over a year, depending on the special effects. “Old cine film had quite a small frame, so you had to be a good camera operator to get details, and it was very expensive - a hobby for the rich,” says Joe. “With digital, you can have a full studio in the palm of your hand for pocket money prices, and with social media it can reach more people in a day than old films could in a lifetime.”
While technology and equipment has changed dramatically over the years, the essence of film-making remains the same. “We’re all telling a story,” says Joe.
l A Bunch of Amateurs is in cinemas now. There are screenings at the National Science and Media Museum this month. Visit scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel