Ciné Real was founded by Oscar-longlisted director Liam Saint-Pierre and projectionist Ümit Mesut of Ümit & Son. Liam curates the films; Ümit brings them to life on screen.
It began with a projector in a bin.
On a cold October day in Hackney in 2011, Liam found a Super 8 projector thrown away in the street. He took it to Ümit & Son, where Ümit repaired it without charge—and then persuaded him that 16mm was where the real magic lived.
Liam bought a Bell & Howell projector for £350 and proposed a film night. Ümit declined to join him but supplied the prints, so Liam put on Jaws in a small gallery and attempted the changeovers himself. After a little wine, the final reel's splices and soundtrack got the better of him. Ümit agreed to become his projection mentor, and never really left.
A film club became a community.
Ciné Real moved through railway arches, bars and working men's clubs before finding its regular home at The Castle Cinema. The monthly screenings began to sell out. Liam and Ümit introduced each film, held a raffle and made every night feel like an occasion.
The projector remains in the room with the audience. When an old splice breaks, Ümit repairs it—sometimes while the crowd times him. Analogue cinema is a little like an open fire beside a radiator: less controlled, perhaps, but alive in a way you can feel.