Cinema Returns to the Pavilion After 50 years!

Following months of dedication and hard work, the Pavilion hosted the premiere of a student-led film on Thursday 12th June, treating an invited audience to a truly special occasion.

After everyone had congregated in Chaplin’s Coffee House the students made their way down the red carpet, being photographed in true Hollywood style, before entering the Pavilion for the screening of “Selsey Pavilion – The Journey So Far”. The 100 strong audience included proud parents who were eager to witness the culmination of a project that had been a year in the planning. 

The 25 minute film received rapturous applause. It was followed by a short film about the students themselves and the roles that they undertook in the making of their excellent production. Speeches were given by Christian Skelton (Chair of the Trust), Jo Ford (Head of The Academy Selsey), Emma Reeve (The Academy Selsey) and Dan Musty (Millstream Productions). A number of the students then spoke about their journey through the course of the project and the wonderful opportunities that they had received. The final product was of exceptional quality and the students can be justifiably proud of their achievements.

It was lovely that three of the team from BBC “The Repair Shop” were among the audience. Mark Stuckey, who restored the Pavilion Trust’s vintage projector, Angelina Bakalarou, who has restored some very old Selsey Pavilion posters, and expert bookbinder Chris Shaw.

It was great to see the Pavilion come back to life before further vital restoration work recommences. There were a few moist eyes afterwards but it proved that the Selsey Pavilion can still pull in an audience and be a wonderful asset for the local community.

You can watch the film here: https://youtu.be/ncqWv5F4nwQ

And a short 5-minute “making of” film here: https://youtu.be/mPX6gjwf26k