WITH the coronavirus pandemic striking down all areas of the arts in the county and beyond, Independent and Art House film enthusiasts Fermanagh Film Club had to cut their Spring 2020 programme short.

However, not to be deterred in their bid to highlight alternative film offerings, the open-minded film club – in collaboration with the Ardhowen Theatre – decided to go virtual.

As part of the ‘Ardhowen at Home’ series, the club curated an Autumn 2020 and Spring 2021 programme of film recommendations that could be enjoyed by members at home via various streaming services.

This was followed by an optional post-viewing discussion by videocall.

Last week, the club announced their final film recommendation for the Spring season – the light post-Cold War comedy, ‘One Way to Moscow’, available to rent on Curzon Home Cinema.

Curzon outlined the film as follows: “When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, some governments feared the spread of Communist agitators across Western Europe, particularly Switzerland.

“Yes, the land of cuckoo clocks and nice chocolate dreaded some kind of post-Soviet infiltration, and so set up surveillance of almost a million of its residents.

“Lewinsky’s comedy has inept but likeable police officer Viktor (Philippe Graber) assigned by his equally useless boss to infiltrate a Left-leaning theatre company, Zurich Schauspielhaus.

“Instead, he finds his time taken up with a rigorous timetable of warm-up routines and rehearsals, whilst attracting the attention of fellow actor, Odile (Generation War’s Miriam Stein).

“If you cross ‘Noises Off’ with ‘Good Bye Lenin!’, you’re close to the quirky tone of Lewinsky’s entertaining comedy drama.”

Come September, as they begin their Autumn season, Fermanagh Film Club hopes to be able to meet in person to once again enjoy the shared experience of watching a film together, and to be able to chat about it afterwards.