East Meon Cinema

East Meon Cinema celebrates 20 Years of films in the village

September 2026 marks a remarkable milestone for East Meon Cinema as the community cinema celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The first screening took place in September 2006, when villagers gathered to watch The Constant Gardener, starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz.

The driving force behind the cinema’s creation was Michael Blakstad. Before retiring to the village, Michael enjoyed a distinguished career in television and was the creator of BBC’s Tomorrow’s World. He heard about an initiative called Moviola, which was bringing cinema screenings to rural villages.  Gathering a group of fellow film enthusiasts at The Tudor House, where he lived with his wife Tricia, they agreed that it would be a wonderful way of bringing the community together while also raising much-needed funds for the village hall.

Twenty years later, that original mission remains very much alive.

When Michael’s health began to fail, Lucy Hollis stepped into the role of chair and has overseen the cinema’s development for more than a decade. East Meon Cinema is run entirely by volunteers, with Lucy, Caroline Beard and Chris Beard among the current team carrying the torch. While audiences enjoy the comfortable seats, refreshments and smooth-running screenings, a huge amount of work happens behind the scenes to make each event possible.

One of the cinema’s recent achievements has been the expansion of its programme beyond ‘standard’ film screenings. The cinema remains part of the Moviola network, however over the past year, the team has successfully secured agreements to screen productions from National Theatre Live and the Royal Opera House.

That may sound straightforward, but in reality it required months of persistence and negotiation by Chris Beard – or “dogged determination” as Lucy put it.  Large distributors are accustomed to dealing with commercial cinema chains rather than volunteer-run village venues. Chris convinced them that a small rural cinema could successfully bring world-class performances to local audiences.

The effort has paid off. Audiences now enjoy productions that would otherwise require a journey to Portsmouth, Winchester or further. Visitors have travelled from across the region, including Alresford, Guildford and beyond, to attend recent screenings – some commenting that despite the choice of screenings in larger cinemas they prefer the friendly atmosphere of our village hall.

The expansion has effectively doubled the cinema’s programme. What was once around eight screenings between September and April has grown to at least sixteen events each year.

Of course, twenty years of cinema have produced some memorable moments. A dramatic one came when the projection screen failed to open on screening night. Faced with the prospect of cancelling, Lucy sprang into action and drew on her stage management background. Armed with bedsheets, the team hurriedly improvised a replacement screen – “there was a lot of gaffer tape and safety pins” Lucy recalls. It may not have looked as polished as the usual equipment, but the show went on and the audience got their cinema night.

Technical challenges are less frequent with audio-visual specialist Matt Millward onboard. He has become something of a local hero, investing countless hours to ensure screenings run smoothly. Committee members describe him as “a wizard”. Last year the village hall acquired a superb new sound system and upgraded projector. Before that investment, Matt frequently arrived with a car full of his own equipment to ensure audiences enjoyed the best possible experience.

Alongside the new sound and projection equipment, the village hall also acquired comfortable seating – a development many regular audience members have appreciated!

Over the last twenty years the committee has learned a great deal about audience preferences. The cinema’s most successful screening remains The King’s Speech, and a screening of The Sting also proved exceptionally popular.

Yet East Meon Cinema has always been about more than simply watching films.

For many residents it provides an opportunity to meet friends, enjoy a glass of wine, maybe an ice cream and spend an evening together. In an age dominated by streaming services and home entertainment, the cinema continues to offer something increasingly valuable: a shared community experience.

The committee continues exploring ways to keep that experience fresh. Over the years it has welcomed guest selectors to help choose films and remains keen to hear suggestions from local residents, especially opportunities to attract younger audiences while maintaining the loyal support of existing attendees.

That sense of community is reflected in the volunteers who have supported the cinema over the years. Alongside today’s core committee, many more have contributed their time, including Gilli Williams, Roger, Helen and Jess Marsh, Judy and Garry Hunt, Rob White, Chris Hollis, Richard and Lesley Dampney, Anna Ryder – and more will always be welcomed. Countless audience members have also helped stack chairs and tidy the hall – a kind and much appreciated gesture.

The cinema’s 20th anniversary will be celebrated with a special event in September, with further details to follow soon. And as East Meon Cinema enters its third decade, its future looks bright. The programme is larger than ever, audiences are discovering new forms of entertainment through theatre, opera and ballet screenings, and the cinema continues to provide a valued service to the village.

Twenty years after Michael Blackstad first brought the idea to East Meon, his vision of bringing people together through cinema remains very much alive.