Feature: White Wall Cinema Supplies a Socially Distanced Summer Screen in Brighton

As the arts sector slowly begins to get back on its feet, a vibrant addition in Brighton has been White Wall Cinema's 'Socially Distanced Summer Screen', an outdoor and indoor pop-up cinema running until 6 September.

White Wall Cinema have been screening new and exciting cinema, lost and undiscovered gems, alongside cult classics and definitive cinematic classics in locations around Brighton since 2015. They seek to provide an alternative experience to the multiplex commercial cinemas, bringing the focus back to good quality filmmaking and the communal experience of watching a film.

Their work certainly fills a gap in the Brighton cinema scene; the city lacks any independent cinemas, with only an Odeon, Cineworld and the Duke of York's Picturehouse (owned by Cineworld). White Wall's ethos is to strip cinema back, stating that "when first looking for places to set up informal screenings with our friends, we always used to say 'anywhere with a white wall will do'".

They have sought to continue providing good cinema to the city throughout the Coronavirus lockdown, initially delivering a bespoke home cinema experience, and eventually opening their 'Socially Distanced Summer Screen' on 4 July, which has been a huge success. The films are handpicked and eclectic, ranging from new but overlooked modern cinema, to 1950s Oscar-winning classics, cult 80s horror movies, gritty 70s drama and surprising pieces of international cinema.

The venue has the advantage of both indoor and outdoor space, meaning that it is not restricted by the unpredictable English weather. There is the option of screening the films indoors in the intimate Wagner Hall, or outdoors in the venue's Fig Tree Garden. A highlight of their summer listings is their 'Secret Movie Club', in which they take blockbuster movies (1917, Joker, A Star is Born) and screen a mystery film instead, carefully choosing one that inspired or is similar to the blockbuster.

Last night, I attended a screening of On the Waterfront, starring Marlon Brando and directed by Elia Kazan, shown inside to a small audience as the weather wasn't great. The experience was intimate (but not physically so!) and personal, as the founder of White Wall prefaced the screening of the film with a short speech about why he thought it was so brilliant.

This is a company who truly love film, and it shows. As someone who is ashamedly lacking in cinematic knowledge, I felt I was in safe hands. This was my first trip to a cinema or theatre since lockdown, and it truly satisfied a hunger for culture and some kind of normality.

White Wall are running screenings five nights a week up until 6 September, with films such as Ad Astra, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Call Me By Your Name coming up on the listings. Whether you're a film fanatic, or a cinema novice like me, definitely get your hands on a ticket.

Visit White Wall Cinema's website to book

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