RE-DOCK’S 'A Small Cinema' has been creating temporary screening spaces in communities since 2009.
In the last eight weeks a growing band of willing volunteers and dedicated community members have been working hard to build the cinema. The cinema was made by volunteer labour, donated materials, gifted cinema seats and the generous support of local businesses.
This year, the Small Cinema comes to Manchester in its most ambitious form yet – a permanent 70-seater cinema space with a nine day festival of screenings and events in a former miners washhouse in Moston, North Manchester.
Once upon a time, there was a cinema on every corner and people went three or four times a week. A Small Cinema Moston brings back the social and communal experience of going to see a film as it sits at the heart of the community and reflects the needs and interests of its audience.
Seat delivery
Commissioned by Buddleia, a commissioning agency for artists to engage with communities and public space and funded by Manchester City Council, artist Sam Meech, has been working with residents and groups in Moston to research and share the cinema heritage of North Manchester, and explore ideas for a newcommunity screening space.
The end result is an ambitious transformation of an unused space into a permanent 'traditional' cinema, and a festival that reflects the community as it isnow, showing something for everyone.
In the last eight weeks a growing band of willing volunteers and dedicated community members have been working hard to build the cinema. The cinema was made by volunteer labour, donated materials, gifted cinema seats and the generous support of local businesses.
Over a period of 8 months Sam Meech has been spending time in Moston getting to know the area and its local residents. Along the way he has met with local cinephiles, former cinemas turned into hardware shops, tech-savvy knitting groups and the fanatical fan-owned football club FC United.
Films have been made about these encounters and will be shown as part of a film festival. Based at the Miners Community Arts and Music Centre on Teddington Road, Moston, The Miners, is a former miners washhouse that has been taken over and run as a community café by father and son team Sam and Lou Beckett.
It already hosts regular comedy and music events and has become the home of Mad Theatre Company. It now has the opportunity to host screening and film events in a completely unique setting.
Moston Festival of Film will feature archive films of North Manchester from the North West Film Archive, cult classics, local documentaries, family matinées and even a screening especially for knitting fans to bring along their needles.
Festival screening highlights include award-wining animation A Town Called Panic, classics such as Gone with Wind and Jaws and a special Halloween screeningof Manchester cult film Living Dead at Manchester Morgue. The festival ends with a screening of Ken Loach's Looking For Eric,a movie that features a number of FC United fans.
The festival will also feature a number of free workshops for children and people young and old, including a very special Make-up SFX event by the legendary Davey Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean / Doctor Who / Blade), Megabyte a day of big screen gaming, 16mm animation with Unravel, and a knitting meet-up with the New Moston Knit and Natter group.
All events and screenings are free but booking will be required. Tickets for screenings are available on a first come first serve basis and areavailable 20mins before each film. To book a place on any of the workshops please email manager@smallcinema.org.uk or call 07984 619 677. MOSTON FESTIVAL OF FILM, Saturday 27 Oct-Sunday 4 Nov. www.asmallcinema.co.uk @asmallcinema
Building Week 5-3
