THE Coach House Theatre in Malvern will be showing the classic Jean Cocteau film Orphee this coming Sunday, as part of the venue's new status as a regional centre for French cinema.

The screening, at 7.30pm, is the first of the regular monthly screenings of films from across the channel, with the second being the Cannes award winning production Of Gods and Men on Sunday February 9.

The screenings follow the success of the inaugural French film weekend back in November, which attracted over 200 French cinema enthusiasts from Malvern and beyond to six films at the theatre.

Chris Green of Malvern Theatre Players, which runs the Coach House, said: "Showings of Truffaut’s Le Dernier Metro, Chabrol’s Madame Bovary, and the hilarious comedy Le Diner de Cons attracted full houses, and all six films were both well attended and very well received.

"On the Saturday, a reception was held at which the mayor of Malvern, Cynthia Pearce, and the French consul from Birmingham, Robert Mille, were part of a large group who assembled to wish the new venture well.

"Nearly 100 feedback forms were handed in over the weekend and the few days after, with people being very supportive of the centre for French cinema idea, and making suggestions for the kind of films they would like to see.

Tickets for the upcoming screenings, at £6, can be reserved by sending a booking request including an e-mail address and an indication of seating preferences plus payment to the Coach House Theatre, Grange Road, Malvern, WR14 3HA, or dropping it through the letter box.

The single films are not bookable through the Malvern Theatres booking system. The Coach House is not manned all the time, but booking requests will be acknowledged by e-mail, and tickets will be given out on the night.

The next weekend is scheduled for March 18-19, when the programme will include some of the best French films made in the last two or three years. Details will be announced shortly, and bookings can then be made on the Malvern Theatres website or its box office.