Hyde Park Picture House normally opens its doors every year as part of Heritage Open Days but this year, they have decided to use the On the Road programme to take the love of all things heritage out and about across the city through a range of events. Wendy has written about this on the Leeds Heritage Theatre website and there is an overview of some more events happening this September below.
You can find out more about the Heritage Open Days on their website which includes a search to find events all over the country. There is also a booklet of Leeds events available from LCC Libraries, Museums and Galleries or as a PDF download.
The Lost Films of Louis Le Prince
Friday 9th September 2pm – Leeds Becket University
This illustrated lecture from historian Irfan Shah will investigate the work of Leeds-based film pioneer, Louis Le Prince. It will take place in the exciting new cinema space of Leeds School of Arts at Leeds Beckett University.
In the years 1888-89, Louis Le Prince shot at least six continuous motion picture sequences in the city of Leeds, of which only a few seconds of three remain. Researcher, Irfan Shah, tells the story of the lost films of Le Prince and shows how Leeds itself was not merely a location for them but an essential ingredient of the inventor’s work.
You can read more about Louis Le Prince in our blog post “Louis Le Prince – moving image pioneer – 1841 to 1890” from earlier this year.
Screenings at Palace Picture House
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th September – Leeds Industrial Museum
Nestled amongst the Kalee Projectors and Louis Le Prince’s early cameras, there will be a mixed programme in celebration of our favourite astounding invention: film.
Featuring:
- Shorts programme: Cinema Memory (30min) – 12.30pm and 1.15pm
- Hyde & Seek Screening: A Grand Day Out (1994, U, 24min) and The Wrong Trousers (1994, U, 30min) – 2.00pm
- Minute Bodies: The Intimate Works of F. Percy Smith (2017, U, 53min) – 3.10pm
South (1919) plus Introduction
Wednesday 14th September 6pm – Local and Family History Library
The screening will be introduced by the Hyde Park Picture House’s heritage projects officer, Laura Ager, who will talk about how early 20th century technological advances in moving image contributed to the evolution of what we now call documentary films.
South is the original film of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 expedition on the Endurance. Often said to be the world’s first documentary feature, it is a unique record of one the greatest survival stories of all time. South has been digitally restored by the BFI National Archive and was re-released this year with a new score composed by silent film pianist Neil Brand to coincide with the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s death.
Archive Films including A Poet Goes North
Saturday 17th September – St John The Evangelist’s Church
Working in conjunction with the New Briggate Heritage Action Zone project to present a short programme of films that contemplate the evolution of our city, where architectural change and the advancement of technology sit in tension with both the reality and the romance of our heritage spaces. This will include a rare screening of A Poet Goes North (1968, 25m) on the hour, every hour. Co-commissioned by Leeds Civic Trust, A Poet Goes North follows Sir John Betjeman as he examines the architecture of Leeds.
We’ll also be sharing information about our Hiding in Plain Sight project which documents the cinemas of Leeds including the scores which have been lost to history but still find themselves implanted in the memory of past generations of film lovers.
To learn more about Heritage Open Days including Irfan Shah’s illustrated lecture and all the other magnificent events in the city please head to www.heritageopendays.org.uk
Friends of Hyde Park Picture House 