The Forsyth County Public Library will premiere a movie program this month with two free showings of a timeless family classic.

The movie will be screened at 2 p.m. Sept. 19 and 26 in the Hampton Park Library branch.

Under the contractual movie license agreement, the film's title can be released only through advertisements and flyers at the library.

The recent movie license purchase by the Forsyth County Public Library Friends & Advocates has enabled the library to show films for the first time.

The Friends provide donations to the library through fundraisers, such as its semiannual book sale, which this year will be Oct. 2 and 3.

Friends spokeswoman Paula Glover said the cinema program is a "nontraditional" way to attract patrons to the library, and specifically the new Hampton Park branch.

"Most people don't think of going to the library to watch movies," she said. "But the fact is, you can go to the library and check out a DVD or a CD. It's not just books."

Vanessa Cowie, library programming coordinator, said the local system had been considering getting the license for some time. The deal allows the library to show films only at its newest branch, Hampton Park, in northern Forsyth County.

Branch manager Ann Decherd said the library picked a family film for the first showing to get all age groups interested.

The branch has plans to show a teen movie during Teen Read Week in October, she said, and possibly show the films associated with the titles in the current book discussions for adults.

All the movies will follow the library's theme tied to literature.

"It's a way for us to highlight all the wonderful resources at the library," Decherd said.

If the program is as popular as expected, she said, the library hopes to expand the cinema to its other two branches.