A message from our Vice-Chancellor
It is 1895, or thereabouts, and workers are leaving a factory in Montplaisir, France. Most are women, and to modern eyes it is as though one hundred Lady Bracknells have burst on to street - all bustling dresses and stern expressions. A cyclist shoots by, and two horses draw a carriage through the factory arch. Then, to the certain bafflement of any onlookers, the scene unfolds again – though this time the carriage is drawn by a single horse. For a third time the workers spill out, only now there is no carriage at all.
Across the street the factory owner, Louis Lumière, creator of the cinematograph, closes his complex contraption. We have witnessed the birth of moving pictures, and as the new-born takes its first breaths of life, it has already discovered the re-take.
These short recordings of an artfully choreographed French street scene were shown across Europe. In Britain the first public display, the genesis of UK cinema, took place on Regent Street in central London, in what is now a lecture theatre at the University of Westminster.
Plans for the future
University Vice-Chancellors often have to balance big ideas and empty pockets. At Westminster, we recently launched a three year plan to develop our buildings and spaces. The plan includes a £5m fundraising campaign to revive the cinema at Regent Street as both a sorely needed modern lecture theatre, and a working cinema with international connections. The historic entrance hall will be transformed into a venue for learning, cultural exchange and exhibitions, and accessibility will be improved.
We’re thrilled that the MBI Al Jaber Foundation have already donated £1m to the campaign - we couldn’t have hoped for a better start. As a showcase venue for our students and other independent film producers, the cinema can be a beacon for the film industry, and an incubator for emerging movie talent. Alongside the recent announcement of a new HQ building for the British Film Institute, we think this is an exciting time to be connected to the British film industry.
Connecting cultures
The Victorians who watched the early Lumière films did not only witness a new form of entertainment. For many it would be their first glimpse of their French neighbours, or continental architecture. It was a moment which connected cultures. So it is fitting that in the same building we now teach social sciences, politics, and languages. Just as the Lumière brothers did more than a century ago, we are opening doors and connecting cultures. I can’t wait for the moment when, once again, we will be able to do so with the word “action!”.
Professor Geoffrey Petts
Vice-Chancellor and Rector
Watch the early Lumière film mentioned by our Vice-Chancellor
