Nonprofit film society is in works for North Charleston

Several Park Circle residents and business owners have come together to form The Greater Park Circle Film Society.

The organization, which is seeking nonprofit status, is still in the early stages of its formation, said Richard Campbell, a Park Circle resident and owner of Park Circle Coffee.

Campbell is spearheading efforts to create the film society, designed to promote independent filmmakers both locally and abroad.

"It's a void that needs to be filled culturally," Campbell said. "We want to involve local filmmakers and students."

Organizers have not yet secured a venue to show the films, but plan for it to be within the Olde North Charleston business district, Campbell said.

Park Circle Film Society events should begin in early December.

Initially, there will be two weekly showings: a Saturday afternoon matinee and another on Saturday evenings, he said.

Membership is open to anyone with an interest in media arts, Campbell said. The society is patterned after the Columbia Film Society, whose Nickelodeon Theater in Columbia was established in 1979. The Park Circle Film Society will collaborate with Nickelodeon and other film groups in the Southeast to attract directors and producers who are touring the country with their films, Campbell said.

The film society fits well with efforts under way to revitalize the city of North Charleston, Cultural Arts Department Director Marty Besancon said.

"The film industry does bring jobs and economic development and a sense of synergy and community." Besancon added. "It really supports the businesses in the area."

For more information, call 225-4520 or e-mail www.parkcirclecoffee.com.

Reach Jasiri Whipper at 937-5589 or jwhipper@postandcourier.com.