Cinechard

31/08/2026

Are you ready for our Secret Cinema?
It’s our 10th anniversary, and we are asking you to trust us!

DATo on IMDB sums it up thus …
“Whether you are a professional or an amateur it is always wise to avoid superlatives with regard to a movie critique ... but I cannot. ‘###### ######xx' is simply the finest movie I have ever seen. Like many who have posted at this site before me I have seen it many, many times. It reaches within me to places other movies have never reached and I have often wondered why. Perhaps it is because of it's simplicity. It contains no expensive special effects, it has no gratuitous s*x or violence, it has no "multi-million dollar per performance" actors that I know of, it is arguable whether it even has a story line, and yet it soars far above the nonsense that film makers are producing these days. It's characters are portrayed by each and every actor in award winning style and the music is not only beautiful but absolutely perfect for this film.”

We know you’ll enjoy it – along with the free cake and prosecco, and you’ll probably also enjoy the ticket prices – rolled back to what they were in 2016!

Friday 11th September 2026, Chard Guildhall 7pm start (doors 6:30)

20/08/2026

Tickets are available , get yours soon!

10/08/2026

Looking forward to showing this on Friday.

When Helen's beloved father passes away, she is knocked sideways by...

18/07/2026

Great audience for the film last night. A pale blue daisy wrap was left behind and is with the caretaker at the Guildhall.
We are now looking forward to our next film “H is for Hawk” starring the wonderful Claire Foy – coming to a screen very near you on Friday August 14th

I've just spotted that I put the wrong BBFC certificate on the posters. This film is a 12, not a 15 as previously advertised. Sorry about that!

16/07/2026

Well, the CineChard contingent didn’t do very well at the Cotley Quiz this evening – we couldn’t remember who played Bill Shakespeare in Hamnet, and we didn’t know the title of the latest Spielberg epic!
If there’d been any questions on Song Sung Blue – our film we are showing tomorrow, Friday 17th – I’m sure we’d have got those ones right.
Come and join us at 7pm (7:30 kick off) at the Guildhall in Chard, and prepare to be very well entertained!

13/07/2026

It’s still going to be about 25° when we load reel one on Friday at 7:30, but there’s a 36% chance of rain, so that’ll be nice!

Song Sung Blue is our offering – and it promises to be a delightful 2 hours 12 minutes, if the reviewers on IMDB are right.

This film is based on a true story as told in a documentary from 2008 of the same name. Thunder and Lightning were a real Neil Diamond tribute act, and this is their story.

Feel free to sing along during the film – apparently lots of people do!

Here’s what Kingslaay from IMDB thinks of the film in a review entitled “An Emotional Rollercoaster:
"Song Sung Blue is a beautiful film. Hugh Jackman gives arguably his best performance and brings this film to life. Along with Kate Hudson they carry this film and take us on an emotional journey as we enjoy some beautiful music along the way. It showed the tribulations and real life struggles of performance artists and how much some performers hung on the coat tails of bigger acts. One of the beauties of this film is they channel the star power and presence of Neil Diamond but we don't actually need to see him as they were enough. A fitting tribute to the real Thunder and Lightning."

And after the show we’ll tell you all about our 10th Anniversary September Secret Film and reveal the title. Oh, wait, it’s a secret – so we won’t. Just trust us. It’s one hell of a film.

09/07/2026

A couple of items for you this evening – well, three to be precise …
1. There is NO film for you tomorrow, as the Guildhall prepares for the Chard Flower and Produce Show. Our film “Song Sung Blue” will be shown next Friday 17th July – and as ever, all will be welcome.
2. The CineChard Team wish to pay their respects to the CEO of Moviola, Tony Ewart, who died this week after a short stay in hospital in Spain. As one of the founding members of the charity, he was influential in driving their success and for the last decade he ran Moviola as its CEO. Moviola has always been a small company, run by three general staff and they are devastated to lose Tony, not only as a colleague but as one of the family.
3. The CineChard Team met in secret this evening at an airconditioned location to discuss our tenth anniversary celebrations. On 11th September we will be showing a mystery film which won an Oscar and 25 other prestigious awards, and we are asking you to trust us and come along to see it. We are confident that being the discerning citizens you are you will be thrilled by our choice. Oh, and by the way, we are rolling ticket prices back to what they were 10 years ago, and we’ll have free cake and free fizz at the show. You wouldn’t want to miss that now, would you?

10/05/2026

And Next up from CineChard we have “Hamnet” – likely to be one of the most popular films of the year.
In late 16th-century England, Agnes, a healer sensitive to the world around her, builds a home with William, a local tutor and aspiring playwright. As their lives fracture, they are tested by distance, silence, and grief.
Produced by (among others) Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes, directed by Chloé Zhao, and written by Maggie O’Farrell and Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet” delivers breathtaking cinematography and profoundly emotional storytelling that explores grief with devastating power. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal deliver career-best performances in this heartbreaking drama that will leave audiences in tears.

Friday 12th June, usual time, usual place £6 in advance, £7 on the door.

11/04/2026

Great Film last night - and a swift AGM following it. We have a new Chair - Sam - and this was my retiring Chair's report, although I'll still be involved with the team ...
It’s been a great year; we’ve shown 13 films, and entertained 708 people – an average of over 54 per film – at three different venues; at our regular haunt of the Guildhall, at the CommuniTEA Waffle House and at Chard Museum and we are looking a the possibility of visiting other venues during 2026. Some of us are still keen on putting on the Star Wars trilogy back-to-back in one night, but this might prove both tricky to achieve and quite expensive – and it would irritate Cath.
CineChard wouldn’t work without an audience, and it wouldn’t work without the team of volunteers including Cath who has been with it since the very beginning, Judith, Sam, Harry and Chris, Kate, John and Denise, Jeremy – and not forgetting Bev and Terry who tirelessly slave away in the Kitchen, and Richard who lends us bits and pieces for outside broadcasts and always steps in to help if we are a bit short staffed. The other key players without whom we would be in dire straights are of course Gary and Mel who get the venue ready for us, and sort out technical issues. Talking of technical issues, we’ve just taken a tentative step into the post-covid world and acquired sum-up machine, so you’ll be able to buy tickets on the door with your phone or a card.
I’ve been chair for 5 years or so, projectionist a bit longer, and doing the artwork for about the same length of time. The ship is in good shape, and it’s time to hand over to Sam.
We showed Conclave in March 2025, and attracted 130 people – the best audience we’ve had during my tenure. Let’s see if we can find a film to rival its popularity during 2026.
My favourite film of the year? The Ballad of Wallis Island.