This Laydon Film Club collaborates with ibis works as a long-standing nonprofit partner dedicated to spreading cinema for four decades. After a pause and the pandemic-led shutdown, a three-year gap in consistent programming ends this January with a refreshed board proposing renewed activity. The schedule resumes on January 19 with new screenings at Teatro Río, featuring a weekly program with free admission.
In November, the club offered a small pre-film appetizer on Thursdays, presenting miracles from Berlanga, including Swimmer (1969) starring Burt Lancaster and directed by Frank Perry. This feature marks the return on the 19th, followed on January 26 by Pool (1969) by Jacques Deray, with Alain Delon and Romy Schneider, arranged to complement the theme at the year’s start.
Forecasts for February fall under the thematic banner “anti love,” with selections such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) by Edgar Wright, Forget Me (2004) by Michel Gondry on the 9th, Kill Bill (2003) by Quentin Tarantino on the 16th, and Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) on February 23.
The new Cineclub Layndon board features María Tauste on the right and is committed to continuing a rich programming slate. The rest of the 2023 lineup anticipates up to 35 screenings, with a young group taking the helm. The board established in September includes 27-year-old María Tauste as president, along with Ángel Lozano, Blanca Rodríguez, Antonio Bordera, and Damián Venteo. “We all chose to be part of the association, and that formed the team. Some of us knew each other beforehand, but our shared passion for cinema brought us together,” Tauste notes, explaining that their team curates titles through flexible looping and seeks connections between films that sometimes feel subtle or surprising.
In a municipality without its own cinema—the nearest commercial theater is in Alcoy—Cineclub Layndon serves as the principal venue to address this audiovisual gap. Support from the Municipal Culture Directorate provides the venue and 7,000 euros for the club’s activities. The remainder is covered by member contributions, totaling up to 11,000 euros (30 euros per year) along with support from collaborating organizations.
Screenings take place in a theater utility room with 99 seats. A pre-film introduction begins at 20:00, and the main feature starts promptly at 20:30. Tauste invites prospective attendees to join as partners. New members receive a Welcome Pack that includes a tote bag and a humorous Taxi Driver inscription, as well as picture postcards and fanzines that can be purchased separately.
The primary aim of this movement, founded in 1982, is to promote cinema while honoring film history. A note about the club’s name explains the origin: Barry Lyndon, associated with Stanley Kubrick, was once miswritten as Layndon. The confusion persisted, becoming part of the club’s identity and its ongoing evolution, according to Tauste.
The current leadership agrees that this fresh phase benefits the municipal cultural audiovisual ecosystem by broadening access to cinema and deepening audience connection. The goal is to nurture a sense of belonging through ongoing programming and to explore new events in the future, such as a festival, expert talks, school workshops, or a film series highlighting the Valencia Community.