The daunting prospect of making new friends as you grow older is an oft-discussed issue. For film fans, a film club may be the answer.
Tasha Jagger founded Film Girls Galore, a budding female-only film club at a local independent cinema, Showroom Workstation in Sheffield.
She works as a civil servant by day and as a freelance film journalist in her spare time writing for publications like NME, Little White Lies and Digital Spy.
We spoke to Tasha about how cinema acts as her therapy and how women can connect through film.
What was the initial inspiration behind Film Girls Galore?
Finding friends in your twenties is actually so hard. I’m turning 27 next month, and my friendship group gets smaller and smaller because people drift away, don’t make as much effort anymore and then you’re just like, well, I don’t really have anyone I can hang with.
I go to the cinema a lot. I try to go between once and three times a week. Even though I’m quite comfortable going by myself, I quite like the alone time, sometimes I would love that extra couple of people with me to have a chat with, grab a coffee with, or whatever.
So I tweeted the idea of what people would think if I started a film club. Sort of like a book club but not in Sheffield for those trying to make new friends and the response was insane, it was just unexpected.
What is it about film that you like?
I’m one of those people who like a bit of every genre, sometimes when I go to the cinema I might not even watch the trailer, so I’m going in completely blind, I like to vary it up.
I get really bad anxiety, looking back on my childhood. I loved 2000s films, I programmed Twilight at Showroom last year and it just makes you feel so good watching films from childhood, so I want to bring that back.
I’m very much into cinema therapy, where you might have watched something a thousand times because it is your comfort blanket. If you’ve watched it before, it may have generated a certain feeling, and I think that’s really fun to talk about—it has some meaning to you.
I love going to the cinema, sitting in my chair, I love watching the trailers, it’s the escapism of how it makes me feel, it just transports your mind, it can really change your personality or you can mould your personality to find films that really suit you.
It’s the escapism part of films that makes watching them quite special. I just watched The Force Awakens, and you forget about how movies can make you feel.
What is your comfort blanket film?
It’s actually called Signs. It’s got Joaquin Phoenix and Mel Gibson in it. It’s about aliens, but it has links with religion.
It’s a 2002 film, and I remember watching it when I was around 6. I definitely shouldn’t have been watching it, but my dad rented it on video, and I remember the whole thing.
I think when a film sticks with you, you remember that memory. You watch it to feel better. I go to the cinema basically as my therapy. I can switch off and focus on this film and I do think that’s downplayed a lot.
Why a film club for only the girls?
I do feel like the male side of the film is very different to perhaps the female side. The males think they’re right all the time, and I’m surrounded by a lot of male journalists, and oh my god, it’s so hard to get a word in edgeways.
They just think they’re right all the time, so I thought put two and two together and try and make new friends whilst watching great films.
I do feel like females are really underrepresented, whether it’s actually on film or behind film, so it would be interesting.
Males like action films, and girls like girly films like Barbie. I did Barbenheimer, and it was great. I want to highlight how girls can like those films too. It’s trying to break that stereotype, but I also want to programme some nostalgic 2000s girly films like Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and Wild Child.
What should film be for women?
That’s a really hard question because film is very subjective. Someone might love Fast and Furious, [and] that’s fine, but I think they should be empowering, and I think if you have a sad film, it can be really relatable. The Worst Person In The World is so relatable where the dialogue itself is so connecting, and the director’s use of their own experiences can make it more gripping.
How to Have Sex was a very simplistic film in terms of the dialogue. It’s an hour and a half and it’s all you need: relatable, empowering, strong story, strong cast, strong female characters.”
Read DirectHer’s list of movies to watch if you feel lost in your 20s
What do you want the film club to be for women?
I just want it to be a very calm and welcoming atmosphere where you can support each other. In this sort of climate, it is hard, especially with mental health. Even just setting up this film club, I had so much anxiety about whether people would even turn up.
It’s only for girls. I want it to be for all ages, the older generation might be harder to reach, but I’m hoping to scout people. If I see anyone by themselves, I’d say to them, ‘Oh, do you want some company to watch films with?’
What are your aspirational plans for the club?
I would love to collaborate with MUBI or BFI or collaborate with any studio really, but MUBI would be my favourite one to collaborate with, I think we could do something good with it.
They do a cinema ticket offer, where you can watch a free film every week, and their films at the minute are really great. They had Priscilla. The Worst Person In The World is my favourite because it’s so relatable.
Also, collaborating with the young programmers that the cinema currently has. I was a young programmer last year and the year before which was how I was able to screen Twilight. It kind of gives opportunities to screen young people’s choices but in this case, it could link to the film club.”
Film Girls Galore first showed Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire and has since held viewings of Dune: Part 2, Challengers and Hoard. Acting as a space for women of all ages to connect through the medium of film is an original concept not yet picked up by other cinemas across the country and makes the club stand out.
Our readers may be interested in getting involved with this safe cinema community. Follow @filmgirlsgalore for their next screening.
