We’re always one to support the smaller projects in all sides of film but this one is pretty special and close to our London-based hearts as it’s just been announced that they’ve just green-lit the restoration of UK’s first cinema – located in the heart of London’s West End at the University of Westminster in Regent Street – thanks to the Westminster City Council, and now the campaign begins to raise funds as this landmark project moves into the next phase.
The Regent Street Cinema is celebrated as the ‘Birthplace of British Cinema’ as it was used by pioneering filmmakers, the Lumière brothers, to perform their first ever moving picture show in the UK on the 21th February, 1896 – 118 years ago today!
The project will see the preservation of the key architectural features of the Cinema from its 1920’s heyday, combining the restored fabric with up-to-date technology, bringing it into the 21st century. Once completed, the iconic venue will house a 200-seat auditorium which will be open to the public and become a landmark destination for British film.
The design scheme for the restoration has been created by Tim Ronalds Architects, a practice that has experience of working with landmark theatre spaces, such as the Hackney Empire redevelopment and plans for Wilton’s Music Hall. Building work will commence in April 2014 and the opening of the Cinema is expected in April 2015.
A major campaign to raise money for the restoration project was publicly launched in March 2012 and the University is seeking additional supporters to be involved in this nationally important project. To date, the University of Westminster has secured two thirds of the £6 million needed to complete the restoration and reopen the Cinema. As part of the wider campaign the University has also secured donations to name over a quarter of the seats in the new Cinema and is aiming to have all 200 named by its supporters well ahead of the Cinema opening.
The University previously received a £1 million donation from the MBI Al Jaber Foundation which was used to bring the Edwardian style Grand Entrance Hall at the Grade II listed campus back to life.
The Cinema project is being backed by some of the biggest names in the British film industry who sit on its advisory board. Tim Bevan, Co-Chair of Working Title Films (Rush, Les Misérables), Asif Kapadia, film director and alumnus of University of Westminster (Senna), Paul Trijbits, Producer (Saving Mr. Banks), and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey (The Avengers).
Film students from the University will also have the opportunity to showcase their work in the heart of London’s vibrant West-End, which is something that no other University can offer. The University currently offers three courses which cover contemporary media practice and film and television production and a post-graduate MA in Film and Television.
For more information on the project please visit: www.birthplaceofcinema.com
