Making friends with film

For many of us life in London involves a conscious trolling of social and cultural offerings; with take-up often limited by budget, time or just lack of will. Nightclubs are often resisted because of work drudgery, and films are often left as stand-by plans at the weekend. We are not Paris Hilton nor Harvey Weinstein, most nights we accept our limitations.

But what if along came a free mid-week film event, made up of film industry people (draw your on stereotypes), held monthly at one of London's still hot nightclubs, and where the drinks were charged at regular pub prices. It has. And it likely offers a better shot at meeting a like mind than the speed dating circuit. Okay, unless you are after another Star Wars obsessive. In which case try a Trekkie convention, not Mayfair.

In the intimate surroundings of The Parlour in Sketch on Conduit Street, W1, Film Friends Forever holds a monthly evening (usually last Wednesday of the month) for industry professionals (and us, random gate crashers) to come and show their work, have a drink, and mingle in a room akin in grandeur to the parlours of Mansion House.

Last night the Film Friends Forever event was a series of short films, none lasting longer than 10 minutes, and largely entertaining. I drank some lovely Rosé, picked up a bit of new vocabulary - open movie (which are closed?), VJ set (no not a typo), dubstep (like the lindy hop?), amongst others - and generally revelled in the novelty of free fun. In between films were the Karminsky Experience DJs, playing from their recently released debut album. These raving scensters can also be found at the Bethnal Green Working Mens Club on the last Friday of the month (so tomorrow).

All perhaps a bit too 'right on' eh, good thing you missed the short called War Photographer complete with vikings, rock-and-roll and robot battleships. Not quite your average visual intake. I understood not one minute of it. But the majority were interesting and provoking. My favourite was called 72 Hours From Now about a girl awakening in a post-apocalyptic world. Please don't read too much into that. I was just hoping for her sake it was after this heat wave and air conditioned.

So there you have it. A true underground secret just made public. I almost feel dirty now. But somebody's gotta do it.

Subscribe at:

www.filmfriendsforever.com

Next event is a Summer Boat Party on Sat 19th August with films and music on deck.
Next monthly event at Parlour expected Wed 30th August.