Entering its second decade as a communal cultural space, the Historic Documentary Film Society – in partnership with Second Innings, which caters to older, active adults – is stepping into the New Year with an eclectic line-up of screenings.
Among next year’s highlights are a 90th birthday tribute to Dame Julie Andrews and a centenary celebration honouring the late Queen Elizabeth II. Co-founders Selwyn Klass and Henni Erasmus, both deeply rooted in the world of film and filmmaking, continue to draw from their industry experience to source rare documentaries and features. Their aim is simple: To offer senior organisations, their members, and friends a gathering place where culture, history, and conversation intersect.

Read more: Film society to screen intimate portrait of Liza Minnelli

“Our events are goodwill motivated,” says Emmarentia resident Klass, who has helped steer the society from a modest idea into a recognised cultural fixture.

Screenings are held at Beit Emanuel Slome Auditorium in Parktown, a venue Klass describes as perfectly suited to the society’s relaxed, social atmosphere. Attendees are also welcomed with a generous tea service, a small touch that has become part of the experience.

Looking back on the past year, Klass points to a run of rare and intimate documentaries, which resonated strongly with audiences. One of the standout events was Barbra Streisand in the Actor’s Studio, an engaging portrait in which Streisand speaks candidly about her career, while introducing scenes from her films – including the making of Yentl, her acclaimed directorial debut.

Also read: Historic Documentary Film Society to screen The Rape of Europa

The society also shone a spotlight on Liza Minnelli, offering a contemporary documentary that captured her tenacity and resilience, under the ever-present weight of life in the public eye.

History remained a central thread in many of the society’s choices. The Rape of Europa offered a vivid account of the Nazi looting of artworks deemed degenerate under their ideology, while Miracle at Midnight revisited the extraordinary courage of the Danish people, who rescued thousands of Jewish citizens in 1943 by ferrying them to safety in Sweden. The screening drew special significance with the attendance of Eva Bjerre Carstensen, deputy of the Danish mission.

To round off the year, and ease audiences into the festive season, the society turned to the musical adaptation of James Hilton’s beloved novella Goodbye, Mr Chips – a sentimental tribute to those teachers whose influence endures long after school days fade. “If school days are meant to be your best days, the privilege of truly knowing one’s particular mentor afterwards, as I did, lives on,” Klass reflected.

As the society prepares its next chapter, its founders remain committed to offering older audiences a place where stories, memory, and community continue to meet… One documentary at a time.

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