Stroud and District Film Society

Alternate Name:

Camelot Films

Year Founded:

1958

Location:

Stroud, Gloucestershire UK

Film Formats:

9.5mm

Associated Filmmakers/People:

Grace Allington

Resources:

The first mention of a film society in Stroud dates from 1950, with a Mr E H C Driver librarian, credited as having started the group (Gloucester Journal - Saturday 28 October 1950, p.6). However, this group does not seem to have taken off, and there are no further mentions in contemporary press of this iteration. A second iteration of a Stroud film society appeared in 1958 – the records of the present-day society indicate this date as the year the group was founded, and this is corroborated by contemporary publications. The first film screening was held by the Stroud and District Film Society on Saturday 27 September 1958 and the theme was pre-war comedy (Gloucester Citizen - Monday 29 September 1958, p.9). The group met regularly at St Matthew’s Hall, Cainscross Stroud (Gloucester Citizen 25 November 1958 p4). Grace Allington was the secretary of the club, and her husband Jack was the chairman. Other elected members included Tom Smith, Natalie Savage, Clifford Savage, Mr A D Withey, Mr F Luckett, Mr S Hook and Mr S G Finning, Mrs M J Fountain, Mr G A G Hall, Mr J Barlow, Mr H White, Mr J Bellinger, Miss J Porter, Mrs Kirsten Mugford, Mr Tim J Mugford, Mr and Mrs G F Hines (Gloucester Citizen - Monday 26 April 1965, p5.). The club was affiliated with the BFI and was incredibly popular, reporting in 1962 a ‘saturation’ of 210 members (Gloucester Citizen, Monday 30 April 1962, p.9). The organisation seems at first to have been only a film appreciation society, with a production element proposed in 1959 (Bristol Evening Post - Monday 23 March 1959, p.7). Tim Mugford took over as chairman of the club after Jack’s death in 1978 and Kirsten Mugford later took over from Grace as secretary. During the Allington-run period the club won many awards, including Film Society of the Year in 1970 which was presented by local animator by John Halas. As founding members of the society Grace and Jack Allington had starting filmmaking as 'Camelot Films' or 'Camelot Productions' as early as 1959. Though the main society was devoted to film appreciation when it appeared in 1958, there were attempts to introduce a production element in 1959. A paper archive from Stroud is known to be held by Cinema for All in Sheffield.