They’ve shown Funny Face at the Royal Academy of Art with a mini orchestra, and premiered Paranoid Park under disused railway arches in Bermondsey, with extra entertainment from DJs and expert skateboarders. Now Secret Cinema is coming to Brighton, and I for one can’t wait to see what’s in store.
With services like YouTube, Film4 and Lovefilm, these days watching a film is as much an everyday event as catching the bus or going to the pub. The idea behind Secret Cinema is to make a film screening an exciting event again, by taking the audience to an unusual location and adding other elements such as music, art and performance. Of course, there’s the added excitement that no-one knows what the film will be right up until the moment it begins!
I asked Brighton’s Secret Cinema organiser Stephen Jarvis for an idea of what they’ve got planned for us. “It’s all very secretive at the moment I’m afraid, no clues yet,” he told me. “Prepare yourself for a spontaneous night to remember, as the location could be anywhere, from city farms to derelict theatres, five star hotel car parks, rooftops or parks. Future events may even feature surprise rescores and special guests.”
If you can’t wait a moment longer for the cinematic fun to begin, there is some more concrete news on a special launch event by the same organisers. Fresh is an international short film festival run by Futureshorts. It’s touring the UK during the next month, and on Friday 7th November it comes to Brighton’s Duke of York’s Picturehouse. There will be a selection of short films from around the world, accompanied by equally international music, and displays by local artists.
The biggest draw of the night will surely be Wes Anderson’s short film Hotel Chevalier, starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman, but the Australian post-apocalyptic love story, I Love Sarah Jane, sounds just as intriguing.
Also on offer will be a Swedish animation chronicling four people’s life-changing episodes, a Dutch music video with trampoline gymnasts simulating typical video effects, and a British film set in “a peaceful metropolis of family values and space-age dreams”.
The event begins at 10.30pm, so you may have to give up your Friday night of partying, but if you’re interested in doing something a bit different, it will certainly be worth it… and don’t worry, you can still grab a beer!
Competition!
If this has tickled your fancy, then you can win two free tickets to the Futureshorts event on 7th November. Just send the answer to the following question to badger-film@ussu.sussex.ac.uk: In which country was Natalie Portman born?
Good luck!
