Dear SHTA Friends,
Welcome, not only to the start of another year for SHTA members, but also to this particular season which marks the sixty-fifth anniversary of the exchange between Sandwich and Honfleur. Although 65 is traditionally the age at which some might be tempted to start to slow down and take the easier options, you won’t find this particular twinning association in any shape or form of retiring. We’ll continue to explore new options and, hopefully, provide our members with opportunities to get together, to make new friends and to build on our already strong links with the good people of Honfleur.

Pierre Jan and his Committee together with the SHTA Committee have started to discuss possible dates for their Visit to Sandwich in 2024 which you will know about as soon as they are confirmed. He has also mentioned that he has been given the responsibility and honour of organising arrangements for the town of Honfleur to celebrate its thousandth (yes, 1000!) birthday in 2025. That’s the year when we shall be making our next visit to stay with our Normandy friends, so it promises to be a bumper occasion!

More immediately, our film season kicks off with the first of nine monthly French films at the Empire Cinema in Sandwich on Wednesday 13th September. As you may have read in the August newsletter, our film sub-committee have been meeting during the Summer to view and discuss potential films. A repeated thank you to those members who have provided suggestions, the first of which will be
‘À Bout de Souffle’ (English title – ‘Breathless’).

Here’s a synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes:
“Petty thug Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo) considers himself a suave bad guy in the manner of Humphrey Bogart, but panics and impulsively kills a policeman while driving a stolen car. On the lam, he turns to his aspiring journalist girlfriend, Patricia (Jean Seberg), hiding out in her Paris apartment while he tries to pull together enough money to get the pair to Italy. But when Patricia learns that her boyfriend is being investigated for murder, she begins to question her loyalties.” Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard in 1960, ‘À Bout De Souffle’ is a crime- drama. The film was Godard’s first feature-length debut work and saw Belmondo’s breakthrough as an actor. It is an influential example of French New Wave (nouvelle vague) cinema. At the time, the film attracted much attention for its bold visual style, which included then unconventional use of jump cuts. Upon its initial release in France, the film attracted over two million viewers. It has since been considered one of the best films ever made.

If you’d like to see this classic, which runs for 90 minutes, then contact Jan Cooper on jannicooper@icloud.com or phone her on 01304 612895 to secure your place. The price per person for yet another year remains at £7.50 per person and can be made online in advance to SHTA; account number 42027168; sort code 30-90-09. I’m sure that this will be a very popular one with many, so don’t delay!

Since Annual Subscriptions are due by the end of September, why not use the same bank details above to pay your year’s membership at the same time? Despite every other cost appearing to have risen, this one has not changed either and remains at £12.50 per person. Please do try to attend to this sooner rather than later, thank you. Having paid your subscription you’ll be entitled to a membership card which will include details of all film titles and dates, as well as other social activities for 2023-2024.

If you can’t wait for that, here are the Film Titles & Dates September to June:

2023:
Wed 13 Sept: ‘À Bout de Souffle’ / ‘Breathless’
Wed 18 Oct: ‘La Fille du Puisatier’ / ‘The Well-Digger’s Daughter’
Wed 15 Nov: ‘Demain Tout Commence’ / ‘Two’s A Family’

2024:
Wed 17 Jan: ‘La Bête Humaine’ / ‘The Human Beast’
Wed 21 Feb: ‘Le Dîner des Cons’ / ‘The Dinner Game’
Wed 13 Mar: ‘Coco avant Chanel’ / ‘Coco before Chanel’
Wed 17 Apr: ‘Un Homme et une Femme’ / ‘A Man and a Woman’
Wed 15 May: ‘Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie’ / ‘The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie’
Wed 12 Jun: ‘Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles’ / ‘A Very Long Engagement’

You’ll also find all of these dates on the SHTA website: sandwichhonfleurtwinning.org.uk , along with a lot more including photos from many of our recent events. One further date for your diary worth noting even at this stage is that of our annual Christmas Dinner & Party: this year we shall be returning to Tan Bueno
Restaurant in Sandwich on the evening of Thursday 7th December. There will, as usual, be an invitation to dress in festive style and join in the fun and games. For further information regarding cost and exact timings, please keep an eye on the monthly newsletter or the website.

Although Sandra and I will be in France to see the Rugby World Cup for a month (and not holding out much hope for England on current form!) and, therefore, not able to join you for the first film night, we’re comforted at the thought that you’ll be in the very capable hands of Vice-Chair, Mark Moorhouse, and the rest of the Committee. We do, however, hope that you enjoy the start of the new SHTA season
and look forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes, Stuart & the Committee