Looking For Fine Company? Join These Online Film Clubs Pronto!

We're loving the Viral Film Festival club because they have a virtual film fest every Thursday to Saturday and how you enjoy it is pretty painless. They choose the film, announce it with fake tickets and tell you where to find it. Watch it with them and then hit up their IG for a live chat and analysis. The club was set up this year as a response to the closure of cinemas and film festivals and is driven by a love of viewing great films together (thank you internet for making this possible!). The lineup of movies is based on tech loving Founders, Sean and Brian's own sensibilities with a mix of what they think others will like. 

Run by Actor, Comedian, Writer and Podcaster, Brett Goldstein, the Isolation Film Club is here to shoo away those isolation blues by digesting, discussing and dissecting movies. The routine is simple, "Every day we pick a film," says Goldstein. "Anyone who wants to watch it can, and then talk about it using the hashtag #isolationfilmclub." Expect loads of variety because there's a film everyday, with rib-tickling comedies being the highlight of the bunch! To join, stay keyed in to Goldstein’s Twitter feed for the daily movie pick. 

Get on the Zodiac Film Club's Instagram page and we promise you will like the sound of its bio. "Good looking films, complex female characters and our faves in rarely screened cult, contemporary and classic cinema", say no more! Set up two years ago, the Founders had an initial vision of starting a cinema hall that played just horrors, instead, now to diversify their offerings they recommend complex female characters and trashy, often otherwise trivialised movie choices on their social handle. They've also put out #14daysofzodiacisolation, 'a guide to our fave films that are easy to access.' For easy decision making when confronted with too much choice, look them up. Watch what you're given and you're bound to be left feeling happier after!

For a fun-filled Movie May, we're recommending Film studio Lionsgate, delivering a night of live ‘competitions, giveaways, shout-outs from cast, crew and celebrities as well as movie quizzes and surprises’ and a free movie via its YouTube channel on Saturdays throughout the month. Lively hosts from the team will also be putting on a spectacle for our entertainment, oh! and it’s all for two very good causes: NHS Charities Together and The Film and TV Charity COVID-19 Emergency Response. They kickstarted on 2 May. To join the party head to the official YouTube channel at 6pm BST on Saturday nights throughout May, which is 10:30 pm IST.

This film club is the perfect escape from reality together. We mean, a way of connecting during isolation by discussing movies and not the situation we're in. The club recommends good movies that provide solace and are available to stream for free as a way of connecting with people in times of crisis. Check out their page and you will find a catalogue of specially curated edits, featuring movies about people being forced to spend time together and casting first-time actors. New and amazing discoveries await you here!

Love female-led filmmaking or films by women? Join Birds Eye View's official Facebook page for all the info on this and how to sooth your lockdown despair with a series of Facebook Live chats with seriously exciting female filmmakers. For example, in April ‘Misbehaviour’ director Philippa Lowthorpe and producer Suzanne Mackie chatted about their riotous true-life Miss World drama. Many more such great insights into lesser-known movies is in-store. Stay glued to their Facebook for all info on upcoming events.

Making film fanatics happy since 2015, Le Cinéma Club is streaming one film every week, for free on their official website. Their ideology is to create  distinctive space for cinema online, honouring both filmmakers and the audience. Follow them on Instagram and you will find the link to their site in bio. They also out short trailers of what's "now showing", a great way to get you hooked like we already are! Recommendations include up and coming directors and a lot of hard hitting documentaries.

We like the direction interaction part of this online movie club. Basically, you get to watch a great independent movie and then discuss and question the people who made it! The movies and documentaries are of high calibre so there's a bleak level of disappointment coming your way. The best part is, there are new events and movies coming at us every other day so to keep an eye out for the latest info visit the Curzon site. 

Fans of anything documentary and real life based filmmaking, What Are You Watching?, a Weekly’s Instagram video series should definitely be on your list. Every week, a different filmmaker picks the docs they’re loving, so this is the place to get a healthy dose of your next true-crime favourite. Head to Doc Weekly’s Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channels to watch.

Here's your chance of starting your own online film club with your friends and their acquaintances. Netflix Party is a great medium and you have full control! Just download the plug-in via the official website, pick a film and then invite your mates for a group watch and chat-along. 

Find your movie lovers tribe in this Whatsapp-based gathering that takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. You watch the movie, then you chat about it on Zoom afterwards. Occasionally, just to kick up the excitement factor you might even find a cast member online! The list of movies is curated based on films that ‘help build empathy around important themes and topics as well as films to simply lift your soul’, which sounds pretty great to us! All you have to do now is head to the Utopia page for all the info, or sign up to the Utopia WhatsApp group and join the fun.