Beth Thomas, assistant manager at The Poly in Falmouth, writes about attending the Film Hub South West Annual Members’ Forum at Watershed in November 2024.

For those who don’t know us, The Poly in Falmouth is a single screen cinema and charity that is focused on promoting engagement with the arts, sciences, and Cornish history through film, live events, exhibitions, lectures, and workshops. 

It was so nice to see some familiar faces and meet new ones at the recent Film Hub Southwest gathering, which was a fantastic mix of film, discussion, and connection.

It began with a preview screening of All We Imagine As Light – a beautiful and thought-provoking film, and it was brilliant to preview it alongside others from the Film Hub. Having this shared experience sparked some great conversations later in the day and I couldn’t wait to share it with our audience. 

Wellbeing and cinema

The Networking Lunch was the perfect opportunity to ask questions and gather advice on upcoming projects, including starting Parent & Baby Screenings at The Poly. Hearing from others who’ve set up similar screenings was incredibly useful.  

A session on Wellbeing and Cinema with Claire Horrocks and Mark Cosgrove was particularly interesting. Claire and Mark shared their insights into how cinema can support wellbeing. Since hearing about this, I’ve been looking into social prescribing and recently reached out to a local charity that works in this area. Claire and Mark’s talk also sparked some ideas for our new regular Wednesday afternoon film slot. We’re considering adding a social element, such as meet-ups before or after the screenings.  

In general, it’s always great to learn about other projects happening across the region. 

Ti Singh’s session on Art of Action and upcoming UK-wide seasons was great. It was useful to hear about the potential BFI seasons coming up and how other people are finding the seasons to be going in general. 

Looking forward to future seasons has prompted us to think about incorporating more wraparound activities for our events. Pitch Pots were also mentioned earlier in the day, and we’ll definitely explore more small applications next year to enhance our programming. 

Overall, the meet-up was a wonderful opportunity to learn, connect, and reflect.

A big thank you to everyone who made it such an enjoyable event. Looking forward to seeing you at the next one — and if you’re ever in Falmouth, come visit us at The Poly! 

For more information on The Poly, visit their website.