FDA celebrates 100 years of UK Film distribution

But we have to travel back to the 19th century when the cinématographe machine was first brought to London in 1896. The new technology was growing in popularity and was taken to public halls and theatres, to gain a wider audience and they started to produce short films for projection. The films were tagged on to show hall variety shows and the films soon became the main attraction with their new form of entertainment through storytelling.

To accommodate this demand purpose built cinemas were set up in the UK in 1910. The makers of these films along with the distributors set up a grade association called the Kinematograph Renters’ Society, in December 1915.

The Society was later changed to the Society of Film Distributors, and today is called the Film Distributors’ Association (FDA), whose President is Lord Puttnam CBE

This year the FDA is also presenting their third ‘State of the Art Cinema’ event with exhibitions set up at the Coningsby Gallery and currently taking place at the Strand Gallery in John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP.

Ridley Scotts: The Martian (20th Century Fox)

The ‘The State of the Art Cinema’ is a FREE interactive exhibition showing contemporary Film poster designs and photography from the UK and around the world. These posters are examples of the iconic images and designs which are central to the film’s identity attracting the audience to be drawn to the imagery in a matter of seconds.

The LEGO® cinema

In 2015 the Strand Gallery will also be exhibiting the LEGO® cinema comprising of 25,000 Lego bricks in a model cinema which was commissioned by the FDA.

On August 19 The FDA organised a special Movie Quiz hosted by Alex Zane (friend of the FDA). I was invited to represent Newsquest London for Your Local Guardian and News Shopper Series. The quiz celebrated the FDA’s 100 year anniversary by setting questions ranging across the last century and leading up to a spectacular line up for autumn 2015.

With Alex Zane st the State of the Art Cinema exhibition

Despite the various new media outlets for offering movies to us the audience through our TV screens, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Now TV etc. There is still a place for the cinema experience as a night out and I for one still get that excited feeling when the lights go down and you nudge the person next to you in anticipation of what’s about to come!

Go on…enjoy yourself at the pictures.

State of the Art Cinema Free exhibition runs until Friday August 28 at the Strand Gallery, 32 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6BP