Box Office (028) 9097 1097 (after 6pm)
Queen's Film Theatre is, by far,
Owned by Queen's University and founded by Michael Emmerson and Michael Barnes - both former directors of the Belfast Festival - in 1968, it started out in the then newly-built arts lecture theatres in University Square Mews. A projection box was built on the back of the larger theatre and equipped with 35mm projectors from a cinema that was closing in Magherafelt.
The first 'Administrator' (as the chief executive was quaintly called) was Andrew Douglas Jones (a temporary appointment). Andrew left after six months and was replaced by Michael Open, who was fresh from university and served until recently as Director. The QFT is currently programmed by Graeme Farrow, who also is in charge of the Belfast Festival at Queen's, however the appointment of a designated QFT Manager is imminent.
In those days the cinema was used for lectures every day and the cinema had to be 'recreated' each evening - lowering the screen, bringing out the speaker and changing the lighting. The seats were only slightly padded in green leatherette with noisy and potentially hazardous folding desks. Programming policy was very much in the 'European art cinema' mould, interspersed with small seasons of classics. QFT was then the only cinema in town to open on Sundays - which it did under 'club' rules, hence our Associateship scheme.
After three years, a relatively small financial deficit led to a loss of confidence by the University and a short period of closure in 1972 was followed by a re-opening in October of that year with a more pragmatic, some would say populist, programme restoring the financial fortunes of the cinema. With the aid of small grants from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the second phase of QFT's development began.
Michael Open left in 1974 to (amongst other things) get married, and Robert Caldicott -another Englishman - whose prime interest was in film production took his place.
A small amount of capital investment (£100,000) had put Dolby Stereo into the sound system, the hard seats had been replaced with luxurious French seating and the second auditorium in the complex had been converted to cinema operation - though still with the hard seats.
At this stage, the great multiplex revolution started to hit
This was halted and reversed in 1996 however with QFT's spectacular 'Centenary of the Cinema' season. Following almost three years in the planning, QFT presented over 250 of the most internationally acknowledged masterpieces of cinema in an orgy of cinematic excess. It was generally acknowledged as one of the most comprehensive and innovative programmes in
QFT is now thriving, with recent developments including becoming the first cinema in Northern Ireland to go digital, forming an innovative partnership with Stella Artois, launching a free student membership scheme with Bank of Ireland and hosting visits by award-winning directors including Ken Loach and David Lynch.
Queen's Film Theatre, 20 University Square, Belfast BT7 1PA | Telephone (028) 9097 1097
