Cinema-goers were treated to a special film screening and DJ set to mark the birthday of one of Britain’s oldest cinemas.

The Duke of York’s in Preston Circus, Brighton, celebrated its 111th anniversary with cake, balloons and a showing of the new Amazon original film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

The screening was followed with a Q&A session with Tom MacRae, writer of both the film and the original musical.

Celebrations also went on into the night with a DJ set from Brighton’s Boogaloo Stu.

Chris Willmott, general manager of the cinema, said it was great to have something to celebrate after the past 18 months.

He said: “We felt that with everything that’s been going on, it’s a perfect opportunity to give a bit of a celebration to all of our members and all of our local community.”

The cinema’s planned festivities for its 110th birthday had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with its impact even threatening the future of the cinema itself after Cineworld, owners of Picturehouse, closed all their branches.

Chris added: “It was a very difficult situation because I think for every business there was a massive amount of uncertainty, so to be in a position where we’re flinging those doors open is fantastic for everybody.

“We’re thrilled to be back and so is the team, and we’ve had nothing but positive responses from the community as they’ve come back in to watch films.”

The cinema first opened in 1910, with sound being introduced at the venue in 1930 and its well-known "can-can" legs being installed in 1991.

The Argus: Tom MacRae (right), writer of the musical and film version of Everybody's Talking About Jamie, took part in a Q&A after the screeningTom MacRae (right), writer of the musical and film version of Everybody's Talking About Jamie, took part in a Q&A after the screening

The film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie follows the true story of a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who dreams of performing as a drag queen but has to deal with other schoolchildren, some teachers and even his own dad who attempt to prevent him from pursuing his aspirations.

Speaking after the film, screenwriter Tom, said the film gave them an opportunity to do more things that weren’t possible in the stage show.

He said: “In the stage show we have 12 kids to represent the whole school, and in the movie we get to have all the kids, so it was about being able to have that scale.”

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