Comments from Bideford_Cinema_Projectionist

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Bideford_Cinema_Projectionist
Bideford_Cinema_Projectionist commented about Bideford College Cinema on Apr 17, 2024 at 2:21 am

I can remember working one weekend when a man came to measure the secreen, take photos and look at the new projector, presumably the person who supplied the information above.

The National Anthem was not played at the end of each evening, I suspect that was something made up by our manager at the time as a joke, he enjoyed that kind of thing.

Bideford_Cinema_Projectionist
Bideford_Cinema_Projectionist commented about Bideford College Cinema on Apr 16, 2024 at 8:31 am

When the cinema reopened on 30-04-99, I was an usher and spent every minute I wasn’t at school working there.1999 was a great year to be able to watch everything for free.

Despite trying everything they could, including midnight showings of cult classics,getting every blockbuster released that year and all sorts of special offers, the cinema struggled to gain an audience and it stopped showing films in 2000, I forget the precise date.

The Bideford Film Society took over the running of the cinema in 2001 and started showing films on Friday and Saturday evenings only. I trained to be one of the projectionists and the Film Society was able to keep the place running.

I left in 2005, but The Film Society is still showing films in Bideford, now at Kingsley School Theatre.

I’m afraid to say that The Bideford College Theatre, pictured above, was demolished entirely in 2007, when construction of the new College began, I was able to take a few photos inside just a few days before they tore it down.