Vintage Mobile Cinema The Star Of BBC's Reel History

A restored vintage mobile cinema funded by South West Screen is the star of a major new 20-part BBC Two daytime show presented by Melvyn Bragg.
Reel History of Britain tells the stories of life in Britain from 1900 to 1970 through the archive collections of the British Film Institute (BFI) and other national and regional film archives, including SWFTA in Plymouth.
The Vintage Mobile Cinema has been touring villages across the South West since last year, following its painstaking restoration in a project backed by South West Screen and the UK Film Council's Digital Film Archive Fund.
Travelling across the UK in the mobile cinema, Lord Bragg meets members of the public who appeared in the historic films featured in the series, and brings them face-to-face with their relatives with the help of the 1967 custom-built cinema on wheels.
Lord Bragg said: "At the turn of the last century one invention changed the way we recall our history forever – the motion camera. Thanks to Britain's pioneering filmmakers, we can still glimpse a world long gone."
The Vintage Mobile Cinema is co-owned by Emma Giffard and Ollie Halls who will both feature in the programmes.
Emma said: "We’ve had some great feedback so far. It's fantastic to have this amount of exposure and it's great to be linked to something like this, in partnership with the BFI and their Screen Heritage UK project.
"It's a high-quality programme and the producers behind it have really gone the extra mile to put it together. What you will see is all so genuine. There were some very emotional scenes. It was an emotional experience for everyone.
"We would not be here if it was not for South West Screen. They provided funding for us to operate the cinema before the restoration work was even done. That's what gave us the confidence to push forward. South West Screen put such faith in us, they believed in us and now even more people can see the results of that thanks to this programme.”
Sarah-Jane Meredith, Head of Creative and Audience Development at South West Screen, said: “We were immediately taken by the potential of the Movie Bus project and the dedication of the team to present archive film in a way that would really capture the imagination of audiences.
“The bus has surpassed all our expectations. Watching films in the bus is a wonderful experience and everyone leaves with a smile on their faces, chatting not only about the comfy seats, the warm welcome from Emma and Ollie but also the wonderful films they have seen. The success of this project has been inspirational and I am so pleased that the bus plays such a pivotal role in Reel History of Britain.”
You can watch Reel History of Britain on BBC Two at 6.30pm every weekday throughout September.
(BMcN)