A full house and a cheeseboard in Keswick

More than 100 people came to the Alhambra Cinema in Keswick on Sunday 27 September to watch A Dairy Story and put their questions to David, the farmer at the heart of the film. The audience was a mix of local people and visitors to the area, and some had travelled from beyond Cumbria to be there.

Owner Jonathan Moore and his team went well beyond simply screening the film. They prepared sample plates of cheese from The Ethical Dairy, the farm featured in A Dairy Story, so that everyone could enjoy a taste of the farm during the Q&A.

“The idea of cow-with-calf captured the imagination and we had a huge turnout to watch A Dairy Story,” said Jonathan. “The buzz in the cinema afterwards discussing the film, and enjoying the cheese from the farm, was great to see.”

The film itself doesn’t mention the cheese side of the farm business at all, so this was new territory for us. After Keswick, we’re starting to think it could be a nice addition to offer venues who want to put on something extra alongside a screening.

It seems the evening has stayed with people, too. “I’ve been stopped in the street several times since we screened A Dairy Story by people who attended, telling me how informative and enjoyable the evening was,” Jonathan added.

We’re very grateful to Jonathan and his team for their warm welcome and for showing us what’s possible, and to everyone who came along on the night.

The screenings continue with Plymouth Arts Cinema on Thursday 1 October. The next Q&A screening with David is at Alnwick Playhouse on Wednesday 7 October, with a further screening there on Thursday 8 October.

If you run a cinema and would like to host a screening, we’d love to hear from you. Bookings for screenings in community venues will open soon.