The Ciné Club de l'Uzège, life on the big screen

The Ciné club de l'Uzège, an association of enthusiasts 

The Ciné club de l'Uzège was founded in 2019 on the initiative of a dozen film enthusiasts. Its mission is to help people discover films and share the sometimes forgotten gems of the silver screen with other film lovers.

But that's not all. With its screenings, the Ciné club de l'Uzège hopes to combat the stranglehold of online streaming platforms and mobile screens, which are in the process of killing off cinema in theatres.

The screenings organised at the iconic Uzès Le Capitole cinema are therefore also a good way of supporting this other cultural entity in the town, while creating an undeniable social link, fighting against isolation and a consumer society where everyone can watch a DVD alone at home, without discussing their emotions, feelings, opinions...

Carefully selected films

Scheduled once a month, the Ciné Club screenings are an opportunity to present films carefully selected by the members of the association, then to discuss the theme, the production, the period in which it was shot... ‘Watching a film together is a unifying moment, for sharing, where our more than 100 members and a number of occasional spectators get together around a chosen theme. A good film should be entertaining, moving, thought-provoking and give meaning to the subject, while giving the viewer time to absorb the plot and feel the emotions...

We work in cycles, the new one having to be completed before the end of the previous one, of course,’ adds Daniel. ‘Each member of the Ciné club steering committee studies the theme, watches the films chosen - sometimes as many as 80 - and researches the director and the historical period. The selection is then reduced to 10, then 5 films.

For our Western cycle, for example, we decided to reflect on the place of Indians in American society, with the films chosen showing how this has changed in the United States. From being mere extras or token villains, Indians have become, over the years and through the different approaches of film-makers, characters in their own right in American society, rich in both human and cultural terms. From hereditary enemies, the Indians gradually become friends, partners, references... So the most difficult thing was to find a real chronology for the films selected'.

Two cycles, solid communication and off to the cinema!

In the end, the Ciné club is ‘a bunch of friends’ who enthusiastically put together 2 cycles each year for members.

The next cycle will deal with... novels brought to the screen. What a programme! Presented on Radio Fuze On air with Radio Fuze, the French community radio of Uzès, in the pages of Le Républicain d'Uzès and on posters distributed shown all over the town.

Many thanks to Daniel Mutel for his contribution to this article.

A good place to be: Once a month, you can catch the Uzège film club's selection at Le Capitole in Uzès. Le Ciné club de l'Uzège: 56 rue Xavier Sigalon, Uzès. Contact: infocineclub.uzege@gmail.com.