H&F's 'Oscars' to Be Presented Today

---

At Community Film Festival taking place at Lyric's new cinema

Hammersmith and Fulham's own version of the Oscars will be presented at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith today.

The presentation will be part of our first ever community film festival, taking place in the Lyric’s newly-opened cinema today, Thursday 22 September from 4pm to 7pm.

The event will include 25 short films, ranging from two to 20 minutes in length, celebrating the energy and diversity of Hammersmith’s community and its voluntary sector.

All of the films have either been made by local organisations or capture the work of local groups.

As we reported earlier, the festival has been organised by Hammersmith United Charities (HUC), which has been serving the eight northern wards of the borough for nearly 400 years, providing supported housing for older people and grants for community groups.

HUC's head of community partnerships, Melanie Nock, said many of the films showed the ‘tenacity’ of local volunteers and professionals as they supported local people to overcome a range of issues.

Others simply captured Hammersmith residents enjoying sport, theatre, good conversation and the company of their neighbours.

"We are very excited by this festival, and putting together the programme has been moving and exhilarating," she says.

"Groups we fund often send us short films about their work and I have long thought they deserved a wider audience. In bringing them together like this, for local people to enjoy in the great setting of the Lyric’s new cinema, we are able to show a local audience just how vibrant this area is."

The Lyric is financially supported by Hammersmith & Fulham Council. And Cllr Sue Fennimore, H&F’s Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, said: “This new film festival is an inspiring celebration of all the ingredients that make H&F a great place to live and work. I applaud our wonderfully diverse community and the dedicated work of our volunteers.”

The festival will include awards for best films in a number of categories.

Tickets to the Hammersmith Community Film Festival are free – but must be booked in advance by emailing:nora.laraki@hamunitedcharities.com.

For more information on the event and the work of HUC, please visit www.hamunitedcharities.com.

September 22, 2016