First-ever Film in the Field Festival ready to run
Outdoor screening of classic films
After years of indoor success, Slindon Cinema launches an exciting new chapter this summer with its first-ever Film in the Field Festival, with three nights of classic films projected outdoors on traditional 35mm film beneath the stars.
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Cinema and festival director Joe Cornick is delighted with the ticket sales so far – and is already hoping the outdoor festival will become an annual event.
The inaugural Film in the Field screenings will be Casablanca (1942) – 35mm, Friday, July 24; The Railway Children (1970) – 35mm, Saturday, July 25; and Cinema Paradiso (1988) – 35mm, Sunday, July 26, with tickets available on:
Alongside the screenings, there’ll be a fully stocked outdoor bar and a barbecue from 7pm each evening, helping to create a relaxed summer festival atmosphere before the films begin at dusk.
As Joe says, it’s something he has been planning to do for a while – a natural next step.
Slindon Cinema began when Joe, while studying A-levels in 2019, undertook a project to recreate a retro cinema using the village hall where he grew up. The Coronation Hall in Slindon was built in the 1930s with a full projection box, but no projectors were ever put in.
“Nearly 100 years later, we were able to install a full 35mm projection facility, with a generous donation of the equipment from a cinema in Tonbridge, who had gone fully digital.
“I just wanted to bring back the magic of cinema to my local community. I wanted to bring back 35mm film into the village hall, and when I started it I just realised that it was amazing. We had our first screening, and it was really well attended. Our first film was Man in the Moon starring Kenneth More, and I was blown away by the reception that we had. It was just so positive. We're in a world where the medium is defined by streaming and by Netflix, and that's good but we have lost the coming together that you get from going to the cinema. What Slindon Cinema represents is a lovely experience but also the magic of bringing people together. We have usherettes. We have an intermission and we even put a slight haze in the room.
“We generally run once a month and I would say that generally we show around 12 films a year, and that's what makes the whole thing special. We are a curated special screening and we have people that travel from all over the place to come and see an original print.”
The nostalgia is key: “We have locally-made ice cream and usherettes that go around with it. People love it. It's a real antidote to where the majority of people watch TV in brightly-lit rooms or go to the multiplex where there can be quite a clinical atmosphere.”
And now the experience is going outdoors: “It has always been a dream to make cinema more accessible particularly outside, and this year we were very fortunate to receive support from the BFI and the National Lottery. We were able to think about a 35mm special weekend.
“Indoors the capacity is about 90. Outdoors there is no limit. We are really excited to be bringing together this experiment for the first time. We don't know how it will go but we are really excited about it, and everyone has come together to help make it work. We're already far beyond where I hoped we would be in our ticket sales.”
Doors open: 7:00pm. Film start: approximately 8:30-9:00pm at dusk. Expected finish time: approximately 11:00pm. Parking: free parking available adjacent to the venue. Accessibility: step-free access and accessible toilet facilities available. Bring your own deck chairs, camping seats or blankets as seating is not provided. In the event of bad weather, the screening will move indoors.