Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival returns for 2023. Running from Friday September 8 until Saturday 16, the festival marks a chance to see household favourites on the big screen at a number of local venues without having to open your purse.
The line-up includes films old and new, and locations range from outdoor sites to pubs and national properties – making it an opportunity to explore unusual venues across the borough, too. All films showing are free to enjoy, although viewings operate on a first-come-first-serve basis, so it’s worth arriving in good time in order to bag a comfy seat.
The first Free Film Festival took place in Peckham and Nunhead in 2010.
The concept has since spread to other boroughs across south London. Each Free Film Festival is run by its own group of volunteers – while equipment including projectors are shared – and the festivals aim to bring people together to enjoy films in local places they might not have previously been.
The Charlton and Woolwich edition of the festival was founded by Gavin Eastley, who continues to volunteer with it today.
It all began in early 2016 with an open call in a newspaper, “The Charlton Champion, a local online newspaper [that’s] sadly no more published an article and the date of an inaugural meeting in the White Swan, a [now closed] pub in Charlton Village,” Gavin recalls. “September that year was our first festival. Sixteen people turned up for that first meeting [and] a lot of them are still essential in putting on the festival.”
Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival. Photo credit: Ed Simmons
So, what are the highlights of the 2023 festival? “We have a great mix of films… This year we have Talking About Trees, a Sudanese film about setting up a film festival, showing at Artfix on Powis Street,” Gavin reveals. Watching a film about setting up a film festival while attending a film festival will probably be a meta experience for many, not least of all Gavin’s team of volunteers. “The problems and joys of such a venture are universal, be it Woolwich or [Sudan’s] Omdurman, although we don’t have to worry about the stars being too bright,” he chuckles.
Elsewhere, the classic English film, 1958’s Ice Cold in Alex, is showing at Shrewsbury House; Limbo, a recent film of refugees in the Scottish Islands, is showing at St Luke’s Church in Charlton Village; and Dungeons and Dragons is on at St George’s Garrison Church in Woolwich. “St George’s is a hidden gem in Woolwich and the very first venue to approach us back in 2016,” Gavin recalls.
“Our crack team of military historians will show Fires Were Burning, a documentary of the Blitz with an expert talk before, in Charlton Manor School (Friday 15). We expect some people in contemporary uniforms and clothing to come along,” he adds.
The festival falls shortly before the annual London Film Festival, an exclusive and expensive event where those working in the film industry or savvy enough to apply for tickets have the chance to see big releases before they hit the cinemas. The timing of Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival just before London’s major movie event is, however, a coincidence.
“Our main consideration, particularly as we like outdoor screenings, is weather and light,” Gavin explains. “Most festivals cluster around April/May or September/October. It [stays] too light into the evening during July and August and too cold from November to February [to run outdoor screenings].”
So whether you’re a certified cinephile or a local keen to support community events, make a date with the movies this week.
Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival is taking place between September 8 – 16, in locations across Charlton and Woolwich.
All film screenings are free to attend, operating on a first-come-first-serve basis.
