Auld Town Film Club is a brand new women-only film club started in Edinburgh just this month. After discovering them through social media, I sat down with the club’s founder, Caitlin Brock, who told me all about her initiative to start the club, as well as how small local communities like this one can reshape narratives around women in film spaces.
Caitlin grew up in Edinburgh but had spent many years away. She told me that the idea of forming the group first started after she finished her master’s degree and returned home with a sudden abundance of free time on her hands—“There are a lot of small communities in Edinburgh, especially for women, but there aren’t many that have a niche.” Caitlin said she wanted to create “A space to make friendships and try different hobbies, and I’m interested in film.” The group originally started from a small group chat of people, and many of the original aspirations behind the club came from Caitlin’s experiences and feelings she had while studying film at university.
“(I have) honestly just had way more interesting conversations with women when it comes to film than men.”
“You’d often get the men who worship certain male directors and speak so loudly, and I’d think ‘That’s fine, none of your favourite directors can actually write women, though’ ,” Caitlin joked when I asked about making Auld Town Film Club a film club specifically for women, and by women. The club is a testament to all the times women felt ignored in film spaces, both as creatives and commentators. She said, “It often feels very male-dominated, and this trickles down into the whole ‘film-bro’ culture; the male opinion is often taken as the correct opinion.” Another reason she gave for making the club a women-only space was that she “Honestly just had way more interesting conversations with women when it comes to film than men.” It was crucial for Caitlin to make sure the space she was cultivating didn’t feel intimidating, “Everyone who came along was so nice and so cool. It was definitely a breath of fresh air,” she continued, “When you watch a film you always bring your own experiences into it, but it’s been refreshing to hear women’s experiences in this kind of critical space.”
The first official meeting of the club was a discussion about The Bride (2026), the most recent Maggie Gyllenhaal project—a film which essentially retells Frankenstein in a female-centric way with a prominent female director behind it. I wondered if this was a happy coincidence or if the club set out to prioritise films that can shape these types of gendered discussions. Caitlin remarked that the feminist aspect of the film was “definitely a conversation starter,” but that she felt it was more important for the films to reflect the voices of the people at the meetings—“At the discussion everyone was bringing up their favourite films and suggesting films, and it opened me up to things I’ve never heard of and really wanted to see.”
One thing that surprised Caitlin after organising her first meet-up with the club was how quickly the new members were willing to openly collaborate and advocate for their own projects. The club’s first meeting apparently sparked not only critical conversations but ideas about making things and getting into the industry. Caitlin recounted that during the discussion, many people were sharing their experiences with projects they’ve worked on, and she was especially surprised at how “naturally” these topics came up.
“It was really cool to see that people were willing to share their experiences and connections. As women, I find that we’re sometimes a lot more hesitant to say ‘I am this thing’ or ‘I’m aspiring to be this’ at the typical industry and networking events,” she said. “At least that’s been my experience,” she elaborated, “It’s hard to get into spaces without money and without opportunity, especially when you feel like there aren’t enough women from different backgrounds represented in these spaces.”
It’s very admirable to start new communities aimed at forming real-life connections, and in the age of streaming, it’s especially admirable to start one based around cinema-going. I asked Caitlin how she feels about communities like this one challenging the notion that cinema-going is a thing of the past.
“When you go to the cinema or consume media, people have so many thoughts but don’t have an outlet,” she said. Commenting on the first meeting’s success, she stated, “There’s an illusion that people have big networks, but in reality, you might not be seeing your friends at all, and mistaking ‘doomscrolling’ for filling a void.” She continued, “People use social media to be inspired, but don’t take action. There is a craving for community, for going out and doing things, and it’s low-risk with high rewards.”
Lastly, I asked Caitlin if she could say anything about the future plans of Auld Town Film Club, and she spoke excitedly about what people can expect. “I hope we continue to grow that creative circle and community,” she said, “In the future, we definitely want to host screenings and maybe collaborate with other communities in Edinburgh, especially with local film and cinema spaces.”
The Auld Town Film Club is a safe space for any woman who has been made to feel like their opinions on film aren’t relevant because they’re not a ‘film-bro’, and I’m very excited that it seems to be fostering a growing community of female creatives and filmmakers right here in Edinburgh.
Image provided by Caitlin Brock.