Film shines light on much-loved Art Deco cinema

After co-founding a production company together, Maddie Rush and Sydney Anderson decided to make their first documentary.

While debating their potential subject, Anderson mentioned a cinema she grew up going to - The Majestic in Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

Steeped in history, the 1937 Art Deco building is the home of fond memories for generations of film-goers in the town. So, the pair, both 21, got to work.

Now, the documentary - The Majestic - will premier at the cinema itself on Thursday, before becoming available on YouTube.

Over the summer, they began seeking out people who had a connection to the building.

"We put a message out on Facebook and asked if anyone had any memories," Rush said.

"We were able to interview all the staff, a historian, and also some locals.

"We got some really nice voice memos from locals as well, to explain their stories - and we got pictures."

The documentary features these stories, as well as footage from inside the building, information about its history, and how much it means to the town as a whole.

"It was a lot of fun," Anderson said on the filming.

"We were doing it through the heatwave… it was boiling hot, but it was a lot of fun."

Anderson lives just minutes away from the cinema and grew up going there herself - which is why it came to mind as the perfect subject for the film.

"It was really nice hearing all the stories and being with the staff and locals as well," she said.

"The earliest memory I have is seeing Harry Potter, The Deathly Hallows Part Two in 3D which was amazing, but I just remember crying my eyes out.

"It's just an amazing cinema to sit in and watch anything in, but especially Harry Potter."

Rush said it was clear how much people loved the cinema.

"A lot of people were saying they grew up with it and they'd been going there since they were a child - and now they take their families, which is really special," she said.

"People say that they went on first dates there with their partners, we had photos to match that."

The documentary is screening at the Majestic Cinema on Thursday at 13:00 GMT.

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