The ornately-restored Regent Street Cinema not only boasts more than 150 years of history, but lays claim to being the birthplace of British cinema. In 1896, members of the press allegedly fled the building shrieking when the Lumière brothers’ Cinématographe machine caused viewers to believe a steam train was about to burst through the screen and run them over. In 1951, the cinema boldly screened La Vie Commence Demain – the first film to be awarded an X certificate in the UK.
The building was brought back to its 19th century grandeur in 2015, following a successful restoration campaign by the University of Westminster. Over the course of the pandemic - when it was only able to open for five weeks between lockdowns - the cinema decided to expand its scope, enabling it to now showcase commercial flicks alongside the indy films it is renowned for.
Sophie Doherty, the new Screen Content and Events Manager, is tasked with curating the best quality commercial film, event cinema and special screenings, with the aim of reaching the widest audience possible and garnering revenue which meets (or hopefully smashes!) budget.
We spoke to Sophie ahead of the cinema reopening on 25 June about her vision, plans for the year ahead, and journey to the top of one of the country’s most famous independent cinemas.
The cinema decided to switch business model last year, expanding its scope from purely art-house films to a blend of both indy and commercial movies. How do you balance this?
It’s a challenge but my established relationships with UK film distributors might be part of the reason why I was brought in. I need to balance the needs of distributors who are “looking after” their films with our desire to play a variety of titles within any given play-week.
Our reopening week of June 25, is a good example - we are able to play Supernova, which is a heart-wrenching yet life & love-affirming story, alongside In the Heights – a feel-good, slightly gritty summer musical which is more commercial.
In our second week, we’re playing Another Round, which is a super fun indy movie that won the Oscar for best foreign picture. Then we’ve also got Tove, which is about the Finnish creator of the Moomins cartoon. Our opening few weeks really demonstrate the mix of commercial and indy that we’re going for.
The cinema has a history of screening high-quality, if lesser-known, films. By opening the doors to commercial movies, how do you make sure that the quality remains consistently high?
I come from a background where I’ll watch anything, and if it’s a good story and well-acted, I’ll love it. However, we do need to curate to a degree, because as a solo screen we can’t play everything.
Good stories come in all shapes and sizes and guises, and I don’t want to write anything off until I’ve either seen the film or know more about it. There’s no real hard and fast rule, but we have to exercise some discretion, to differentiate us from the multi-plex marketplace. Although conversely, some films which are perceived as mainstream actually break the mould, and challenge audiences to think in new ways.
Let’s imagine for a moment that the country smoothly reopens for business on July 19. What are your plans for the year ahead?
Even if restrictions remain in place, we will continue with our current limited capacity (60 seats) and general Covid safeguarding procedures.
Firstly, there are a number of strands we’re working on. The first strand is around female representation in film. We’re working with a charity called Birdseye Film, who’s Reclaim the Frame programme highlights female representation by bringing special panel guests for a Q&A after a screening. Tove will launch our Reclaim the Frame series, and the panel might include voices from Finnish queer culture, and/or an expert on the Moomins.
We are also planning community and diversity strands, which will also involve special guests and screenings, plus hopefully hybrid elements also – for example streaming live, in order to reach a broader audience.
Special one-off screenings form another programming strand. The first big one is a Q&A on October 14 with the screenwriters Neil Purvis & Robert Wade, who have written seven Bond films, including the upcoming No Time to Die. The Q&A plus screening will be on sale soon!
We’re also going to bring back matinee screenings, under our new “Regency Selects” branding, where we’ll show a selection of contemporary films, foreign films, classics – with a discount for the over 60s.
Another thing I’m really excited about is experiential screenings, where you get to truly immerse audiences into a film. We could create a set, feature actors, throw a bit of theatre around it. Paramount has just made available a 4K restoration of the original Top Gun, so imagine having people dressed as if they’re part of the Top Gun Academy… ready to geek out in their own special screening. It would be a real treat for the fanboys and fangirls!
Can you tell us about your background and how you got to your current position?
I was working in a front-of-house position at a cinema, when an ex-boss of mine from the cinema became a film booker. I took him for a beer and said that I’d love to work for his team someday. I applied, never thinking I’d get it, and had to convince the film booking director as well as everyone in that team that I was the right person for the job. Just popping down to see the Film Bookers whenever I was at head office definitely helped. Don’t be shy to tell a person or a team that you’d like to work with them – they can’t read your mind. I worked there for six years as a Vue Film Buyer, before going to work in distribution with Disney Studios where, I was UK Sales Lead for Lucas Films, working on The Force Awakens release, which became the UK’s number one film of all time. I had a great time there, but unfortunately my role was made redundant and I decided to take a career break.
I was unlucky to try and come back to work in the middle of a pandemic, but someone recommended me to Regent Street Cinema, and they gave me a call. If you love film, being a film booker is a super job – the very best parts of it aren’t like work at all.
Find out more and book tickets online at the Regent Street Cinema website.
