New Dot Cinema up for for two major awards

* Happy as Lazzaro will be screened by New Dot on September 13.

Volunteers at New Dot Cinema are celebrating after being shortlisted in two categories in the Film Society of the Year Awards. 

The Cinema For All Film Society of the Year Awards are the highlight of the community cinema calendar. Since 1969, volunteers have come together to celebrate shared achievements and showcase innovation in film exhibition.

Speaking ahead of the award ceremony, which takes place in Sheffield on 21 September, New Dot’s Chair, Yvonne Ryan, said: "Being shortlisted is a wonderful recognition of the efforts our volunteers put in to bring great films to our community. It’s especially good news as we look forward to celebrating New Dot Cinema’s fifth birthday next year."

New Dot Cinema has been shortlisted for ‘Best Marketing and Publicity’.

Speaking about the nomination, New Dot volunteer Jen Rush said: "It's fantastic to be recognised in this category as we put a great deal of effort into making an impact with very limited resources.

"It is a team effort among volunteers to ensure that locals are aware of our events, from distributing flyers and posters to updating our social media, website and mailings."

The hard work and dedication of one of the cinema’s founding volunteers, Simon Proffit, has been acknowledged with a nomination for the category ‘Outstanding Contribution by an Individual’.

Simon has led the way with New Dot’s ever-improving cinema technology, which recently included the installation of a new electric screen in the Town Hall.

He designs New Dot’s eye-catching flyers and posters, leads programme curation and prepares the curious shorts and thematic music local cinema-goers enjoy in addition to the main film.

The next New Dot Cinema screening, Happy as Lazzaro, takes place on Friday September 13.

Lazzaro’s sweet nature means people mistake him for simple-minded. He happily does the bidding of anyone in his local village, which is ruled over by the Cruella de Vil-esque Marchesa.

When Lazzaro agrees to help Tancredi, the Marchesa’s unhappy son, stage his own kidnapping it sets off a chain of events that changes the lives of everyone in this supposed rural idyll forever.

Beautifully shot and incorporating some truly stunning imagery, the film’s textured sepia tinge shifts from a fantastical country paradise that could be set any time in the last 200 years to modern urban decay that could only take place today.