As a self confessed cineaste, I’m delighted to see the return of a regular cinema night to Rochester.

The Rochester Film Society has been operating in and around the Medway Towns for some years now, showing a range of films, some art-house, some curated around a theme, but always with an introduction and post-screening discussion, often over a glass of wine.

The Rochester Picture Palace was Rochester’s first cinema, operating from the Corn Exchange from 1910 to 1924. So it seemed an obvious choice for the name of a new cinema night in the same venue.

The Rochester Picture Palace will be screening a mix of contemporary World, American and British independent films, opening on Tuesday 15th October with ‘Renoir’, a French period drama that looks at painter father Auguste and filmmaker son Jean just after WW1.

The first season full programme is as follows;

15th October – Renoir (12A Cert 112 mins). The French Riviera, summer 1915. A young woman enchants both Jean and his father Auguste Renoir.

22nd October – The Spirit of ’45 (U Cert 94 mins). The spirit of unity that buoyed the UK during and immediately after the Second World War.

29th October – A Hijacking (15 Cert 101mins). A Danish cargo ship is hijacked by Somali pirates.

5th November – Therese Desqueyroux (12 Cert 110 mins). A young woman trapped in an unhappy marriage breaks free from social pressures.

12th November – Like Someone In Love (12A Cert 110 mins). A Tokyo prostitute develops a connection with a widower over two days.

The Rochester Picture Palace is every Tuesday at 7.30pm from 15th October. A bar and refreshments are available. For booking and future listings, go to www.rochesterfilmsociety.co.uk.