Free screening of films by Brighton & Hove’s Film Pioneers at The Hop 50+ Centre on 3rd February with talk by Dr. Frank Gray
Hove in 1900, alongside London, Paris and New York, was at the forefront of the birth of cinema. This talk will introduce and explore the work of the Hove-based innovators George Albert Smith, Laura Bayley and James Williamson.
From their base at St Ann’s Well Gardens in Hove, Smith & Bayley made films of everyday scenes and comic sketches. Williamson’s first movies were comedies and fantastic trick films. Is it possible for a man to swallow a man?
These filmmakers taught themselves how to combine shots in order to create film sequences. Together they invented film editing – a revolutionary step that would transform the nature of film.
Date and information
Date and time: Tuesday 3rd February at 2-4pm
Venue: The Hop 50+ Community Centre, St. John’s Church, Church Road, Hove BN3 2FL (click here for a Google Map link)
Price: Free – no booking required – this event is aimed at people over 50
Dr. Frank Gray is an early film historian, a member of Days of Wonder, a curator of film exhibitions for Brighton & Hove Museums, the co-founder of Cinecity (the Brighton Film Festival) and the retired Director of Screen Archive South East (SASE) at the University of Brighton. SASE collects, preserves and shares films made in Brighton & Hove and the region.
Days of Wonder is a three-year screen heritage programme of events and activities that includes a newly commissioned exhibition by artists Chahine Fellahi and Annis Joslin entitled Play Back Forward, which is on until 12 April 2026 at Hove Museum of Creativity.
Days of Wonder is curated and produced by videoclub and Corridor in partnership with Brighton & Hove Museums and Screen Archive South East. Supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and Film Hub South East/BFI.
