Colin Lawrence, CEO of hospital cinema charity Medicinema, confirmed from the stage of the BAFTAs last night that the charity’s planned cinema at Manchester Royal Infirmary is on track to be built this year.
The charity was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award, presented to Lawrence by the charity’s ambassador Simon Pegg, while the Manchester project was announced as a legacy of the MTV EMA Awards, which took place in Manchester last year. It is currently under construction ahead of an anticipated 2026 opening.
MediCinema is a charity which has been building and running cinemas in hospitals for 25 years. They are equipped with space for beds, wheelchairs and medical equipment for patients and their families. They are at no cost to either patients or the NHS, and show the very latest films during their cinema runs thanks to the support of the industry.
The idea for MediCinema came about in 1996, when founder Christine Hill was inspired after seeing nurses at St Thomas’ Hospital in London wheeling patients outside in their beds to watch the boats go by on the River Thames.
The first MediCinema opened at St Thomas’ in 1999, and the most recent in Alder Hey in Liverpool last November – the Liverpool opening was also namechecked by Lawrence at last night’s awards. Medicinema also operates cinemas In Glasgow, Newcastle, Wales and two further London hospitals.
Lawrence said while picking up the award: “Last November, we opened a new Medicinema at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, and this year we hope to build a new one at Manchester Royal Infirmary, meaning we’ll reach thousands more patients in the future.”
READ MORE: Vera star Brenda Blethyn and creator Ann Cleeves honoured at RTS North East and Border Awards
Other regional moments of note at last night’s awards, televised live from London’s Royal Festival Hall, included a double win for Preston animator Nick Park, who picked up both the inaugural Best Children’s and Family Film Award and Best Animation for the latest instalment in the Wallace and Gromit franchise, Vengeance Most Fowl, and a Scottish triple whammy of bekilted host David Tennant and legendary thesp Brian Cox introducing the evening’s proceedings with a duet of The Proclaimers’ 500 Miles.
The biggest winenrs on the night were Edward Berger’s papal drama Conclave, which picked up four awards including Best Film and Best British Film, and a further four awards for Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, whose wins included Best Director and Best Actor for Adrien Brody, for his portrayal of Hungarian architect and Holocaust survivor, László Tóth.
