Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Community Cinema Saves Tenants & Residents Association
SHACCA, a Tenants & Residents Association for an estate in the Bermondsey area of Southwark in London, was saved from closure last week when organisers decided to take a more inventive approach in bringing their community together.
Struggling to gather enough people to attend their Annual General Meeting, SHACCA community organisers decided to call on Open Cinema, a local Bermondsey based business, for assistance. Open Cinema is a not-for-profit organisation that uses film and filmmaking to help people in need and to bring together vulnerable communities.
SHACCA organisers said the group would fold if they couldn't assemble enough people to attend their annual general meeting and vote in a new committee. Open Cinema founder and CEO Christoph Warrack offered to attend the AGM, and indeed there weren’t enough residents present to carry the TRA forward. Christoph made a short presentation on Open Cinema and offered to host a "night at the movies", with short films and a filmmaker to introduce them, if they gave the AGM one more try in a few week’s time.
A programme was created and posters were distributed throughout the local community. On the night of the AGM the hall was full. A diverse group of community members were then entertained by award-winning British filmmaker James Rogan, who presented a short drama starring Michael Sheen and a documentary about taxi drivers in Kyrgyzstan, as well as a selection of short films specially provided for the night by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
During the evening, which was attended by a number of residents who had never been involved in the association before, a new committee was voted in, and SHACCA was saved. Already making future plans for the venue, Southwark Council is now working with the association to look at fundraising to support the launch of a permanent Open Cinema at SHACCA.
For more information please contact info@opencinema.net or visit www.opencinema.net
Struggling to gather enough people to attend their Annual General Meeting, SHACCA community organisers decided to call on Open Cinema, a local Bermondsey based business, for assistance. Open Cinema is a not-for-profit organisation that uses film and filmmaking to help people in need and to bring together vulnerable communities.
SHACCA organisers said the group would fold if they couldn't assemble enough people to attend their annual general meeting and vote in a new committee. Open Cinema founder and CEO Christoph Warrack offered to attend the AGM, and indeed there weren’t enough residents present to carry the TRA forward. Christoph made a short presentation on Open Cinema and offered to host a "night at the movies", with short films and a filmmaker to introduce them, if they gave the AGM one more try in a few week’s time.
A programme was created and posters were distributed throughout the local community. On the night of the AGM the hall was full. A diverse group of community members were then entertained by award-winning British filmmaker James Rogan, who presented a short drama starring Michael Sheen and a documentary about taxi drivers in Kyrgyzstan, as well as a selection of short films specially provided for the night by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
During the evening, which was attended by a number of residents who had never been involved in the association before, a new committee was voted in, and SHACCA was saved. Already making future plans for the venue, Southwark Council is now working with the association to look at fundraising to support the launch of a permanent Open Cinema at SHACCA.
For more information please contact info@opencinema.net or visit www.opencinema.net
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