Chippenham Film Club May 2026 Screening: 'Exhibition on Screen: Dawn of Impressionism - Paris 1874' (rating PG)

About

Chippenham Film Club was founded in 2022 to bring films to the town that would not normally be seen on the big screen in Chippenham. The club is run by a small group of volunteers, with stewarding provided by the Reel Cinema theatre. The films on the programme are all selected by the members, and all are films which have not been shown locally or received wide exposure nationally.

You do not need to be a film club member to attend a screening but subscribing to the club gives a 35% discount on the entry fee.

The Impressionists are the most popular group in art history – millions flock every year to marvel at their masterpieces. But, to begin with, they were scorned, penniless outsiders. 1874 was the year that changed everything; the first Impressionists, "hungry for independence", broke the mould by holding their own exhibition outside official channels. Impressionism was born and the art world was changed forever.
Ali Ray's documentary begins with footage from a 2024 exhibition jointly held by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC which restages the original Paris show of 1874. The story is told not by historians and curators but in the words of those who witnessed the dawn of Impressionism: the artists, press and people of Paris, 1874.