Roll credits on watching alone

My favorite part of going to the cinema with a friend isn’t sharing popcorn or browsing the merch table. No, it’s the conversation that comes after: the critique of the ending, the most aesthetically pleasing scene, the unanswered questions.

But what happens when you stream a film alone at home, or slip into an AMC after work to catch the newest release?

A lot of that walk-home conversation has moved online: Letterboxd reviews, X threads, TikTok spoilers. But one community builder in London has created something more intentional — a space for women+ to engage more fully with the films they watch, where discussions go well beyond “I liked it” and “Oh, really? I didn’t.”

I had the pleasure of asking Oriana, founder of The Film Club London, about her burgeoning community, how being women+ shapes conversations and monthly picks, and what’s next for the club.

Q&A with Oriana Gregorj, founder of The Film Club

Q.1. What was the moment you decided London needed a women+ film club, and what did those first screenings look like?

It wasn’t one big defining moment, honestly. It was more of a quiet realization that I was craving a space to talk about films the way I felt I couldn’t anywhere else, somewhere that didn’t feel intimidating, or dominated by the same voices. I just wanted to have the kind of conversation about cinema that felt open and genuinely shared.

It grew really gradually from there. We started small, just a few of us having monthly film discussions, talking through whatever we’d been watching. That slowly evolved into cinema hangouts and eventually into putting on our own screenings.

“There was no grand plan, no launch moment. It just kept becoming more of itself, organically, because the need was there”.

Q.2. Why did you choose to build this specifically for women+ and does that shape the films you watch or the conversations that follow?

Honestly, it happened organically too. The original group was all women simply because I’d shared it in a Facebook group for girls. It wasn’t a deliberate founding decision so much as just how it began. But as it grew, we collectively decided to keep it that way. It felt important to protect the space, and to be intentional about the conversations and films we were curating within it.

And it does shape everything. There’s something that shifts in a room when everyone in it feels like they belong there. People more willing to speak more personally, to disagree, to sit with something uncomfortable. That wouldn’t happen in the same way otherwise. It’s not about exclusion, it’s about what becomes possible when a space feels genuinely safe for women. And yes, it shapes what we watch/discuss too. We’re drawn to films that centre women’s experiences, that were maybe overlooked on first release, or directed by women who never got their flowers. But we’re not rigid about it, sometimes we watch something mainstream and tear it apart, which is equally fun.

Q.3. You host a range of different events beyond just screenings, can you walk us through what those all look like?

The monthly discussion is the heartbeat of the club, but we’ve grown a lot around it. We do screenings, crafty events, member-led cinema hangouts, quiz nights. There’s genuinely something for every mood! Every format creates a slightly different kind of connection, which I love, because not everyone wants to be in a deep discussion, and not everyone wants to just watch in silence. So we try to hold space for all of it.

The idea is that there isn’t just one way to be part of a film community. Whether you want to analyse a director’s entire body of work or just meet people who love cinema as much as you do, there’s a place for you here.

One of TFM’s “discussion talks”

Q.4. Is there a particular screening night or moment that really defined what The Film Club is about for you?

It’s hard to pinpoint one moment because honestly it feels like a combination of all of them. It’s seeing women fill a room and chat their hearts out about film, but also about how they relate to the plots, the characters, what it brings up for them personally. People getting real about it. That’s what keeps reminding me what this is all about.

And then there are moments like our October discussion. The monthly pick was American Psycho, which felt like real proof of the space we’ve built, because for a group of women, that is the true horror film, isn’t it? We had Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street in the same poll, and the room chose Patrick Bateman. That says everything. The session that followed was one of the most interesting we’ve had, people unpacking the film’s themes but also sharing their own experiences, dating encounters, recognising that character in men they’d actually met. It was funny and sharp and a little cathartic.

Every time I get to sit down and properly engage with everyone, it reminds me that this is really about the conversations, the way we’re able to connect through film, bring our full selves to it, and think out loud together. There’s something quite rare about that.

Q.5. How are the monthly picks chosen? Is it a personal decision or does the community have input?

It’s entirely community-driven. I open a suggestion box for films, and then I curate from those submissions, making sure we’re not revisiting something we’ve already discussed, keeping a fairly balanced mix of male and female directors, and weaving in new releases where I can. From there, the community votes. The final pick is always theirs.

We sometimes do the same for screenings too. It feels important that it works that way, this is everyone’s club, and what we watch should reflect that.

TFC will be gathering to discuss “The Drama” their collectively chosen pick of the month on May 10th

Q.6. What’s next for the Film Club? Are there any upcoming picks, collabs, or events people should know about?

So much! We’ve got some exciting collaborations in the works with other female-led organisations in London that I can’t wait to share properly. We’re also bringing back Cinephile Blind Friending and Sip & Film Quiz, both of which were really popular, so if you missed them the first time, now’s your chance!
On a bigger picture level, we’re thinking about how the club can reach more people, whether that’s through partnerships, new venues, or finding ways to extend the community beyond London. The foundation feels really solid now, which means we can start dreaming a little bigger.
But the focus moving forward is growing the community while keeping that same softness and intention we started with. That’s the thing we never want to lose!

January marked two years of The Film Club London and Oriana’s hard work building this community. So you never miss their screenings discussion talks, or other social offerings, follow them on Instagram @thefilmclubldn! Even if you aren’t London-based, you can read their hot takes and take part film discussions in the comment section of their online publication Soft Serve.