How do YOU watch films?

Our audiences are so varied with different lived experiences, expectations and cultures – how can we accommodate people in a way that is comfortable for them, whilst also comfortable for others?

HPPH is a grand old traditional space, with a grand old traditional feel. In general, in the UK people watch films in the same manner as the theatre, quietly, with no phones, snacking (but ideally on quiet popcorn not noisy plastic popcorn bags!), and no chatting. 

That’s not to say there aren’t exceptions, think about The Rocky Horror Picture Show or The Room. Those screenings have their own rules and expectations of engagement that are wildly different to usual cinema going.

I have just come from Il Cinema Ritrovato film festival in Bologna, Italy, that shows restored films from the 1880s to 1990s.  This year, audience behaviour was a hot topic of the festival. When is it ok to take a photo of the screen? Just the film title? Or recording short clips – is that ok when it’s an old movie not on new release? Never and under no circumstances, according to the amount of shushing that happened! 

This is in no way a new debate or challenge for cinemas, the increase in Autism-friendly or relaxed screenings across the country is in recognition that people respond to films in different ways, and it needs to be safe to have your own authentic experience. And that can sometimes look like specific tailored events. 

However, what about when the different film-watching styles are cultural? I received some feedback from Black audience members who had previously felt uncomfortable in our cinema because they were shushed in a screening for chatting – but as they explained, the film itself was a radical Black empowerment film about Black people taking up space. So if you can’t be yourself there, when and where can you? 

On a personal note, when I watched African films growing up they were always in a social space, getting my hair done, or with family members. It was loud, chatty and reactive. Historically in this country there are not many places where you can watch African cinema on the big screen, (hence the need for our strand Cinema Africa!), but on the African continent it is still mostly usual to have louder, more reactive screenings. 

Last year, I had the pleasure of attending the FESPACO film festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for the first time. Fundamentally different from Il Cinema Ritrovato in every way – except for the shared love for film. What struck me most was the beautiful cinemas and mix of public and industry audiences all together. Also, the varying styles of cinema watching. People felt free to exclaim or remark as the feeling came, but also there was full concentration.

But there was one particular event that filled me with joy. We saw Amchilini (2023), a film about a village deciding collectively through discussion whether or not to implement a traditional ritual to marry off the unmarried women. It sparked much lively debate in the cinema. In between each interview on screen with a different member of the Chadian village, in which the audience paid full attention, when there was no talking on screen there was maximum talking in the audience. Jokes were made, immediate reflections, the audience gossiped on mass and it felt like we were all totally in this moment together. 

When the film was selected to be screened at Sheffield Doc Fest, I went to see it again. Not just because I wanted to finally see it with English subtitles – but because I wanted to feel how this UK based audience responded in the room. Probably to be expected, it was like seeing a different film – the audience were silent, engaged, but most surprising I felt like the humour in the film was lost. There developed a ‘poor them’ atmosphere in the room in which the more conservative elements of the film seemed to take precedence, rather than the focus on the contrast of said views against the more progressive voices in the film. The experience was a reminder to me that it is essential to provide cultural context, but sadly there is a natural colonial tendency to look upon Africa with sympathy. 

That may sound quite deep, but part of my mission with Cinema Africa! was to bring together audiences from both African and non–African backgrounds. To learn from each other about what the films mean, how we can challenge ourselves and our expectations, and also feel more integrated and see more of our similarities rather than our differences.

So we have decided to present Amchilini at Hyde Park Picture House as part of this years’ Leeds International African Arts Festival (LIAAF) – to give you the opportunity to try out watching a film in a different way. If you don’t already chat or discuss during a screening, see how it feels, you will be allowed! I’ll even do a reminder in the introduction at the start to help set the tone and code of conduct for this particular space at this time. Bring your friends, and mutter away your live opinions. 

Immediately after the film, we will leave space for the audience to share those opinions to each other if you want to. There are no expectations. This is a playful opportunity to try to make another version of an event space whilst in the celebratory mood of LIAAF. 

I look forward to seeing you there on Tuesday 9 July at 6.30pm, let’s have some fun! More details about the screening here.