Hitchcock’s East End: Year-long series of screenings and events to mark the return of a cinema to Waltham Forest, the home of Hitchcock, after a 10 year absence

The opening of a new Empire Cinema in Waltham Forest in late 2014 will mark the end of a 10 year absence of a cinema in the birthplace of Alfred Hitchcock, one of Britain’s most celebrated filmmakers. 

To celebrate the creation of The Scene at Cleveland Place, which includes a nine-screen cinema, homes, shops and restaurants the borough is hosting ‘Hitchcock’s East End’ - a year-long season of screenings and unique events that will celebrate and explore Alfred Hitchcock’s connection to Waltham Forest.

Hitchcock’s East End is a series of screening and special events programmed by Create London and the Barbican and has been commissioned by Hill Residential Ltd, in partnership with Waltham Forest Council and ISHA (Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association). The series will begin in September 2013 with a spectacular Saturday night screening of one of Hitchcock’s most celebrated films ‘Vertigo’. The special screening will take place in the Victorian surroundings of St Margaret’s Church in Leytonstone on Saturday 28 September 2013 at 7.00pm.

Tickets, priced at £8.50 and just £5.50 for Waltham Forest residents, are released today and can be purchased from the Create London website www.createlondon.org. With each ticket including entry to a guided walk that takes in Hitchcock’s birthplace and the local streets where the director grew up and the appearance of a very special guest from the film industry for a pre-screening talk, organisers are urging fans to purchase their tickets early to avoid missing out.

Create London, which is sponsored by Deutsche Bank,  will produce this season of special screenings and events to  bring the suspense, adventure and glamour of Hitchcock’s films back to the place that was perhaps their original inspiration.

By staging screenings across Waltham Forest in a selection of unexpected locations Create London intend to highlight the gothic, enigmatic and eccentric elements of the borough that may have subconsciously inspired the great man. At the screenings established film-makers and critics will introduce the Hitchcock classics that most inspired them and will lead audiences to explore and re-imagine the suburban landscape of his childhood.

This project forms part of a programme of events leading towards the opening of the new Empire Cinema in late 2014 – returning a cinema to the borough after a ten year absence – which will form part of a major regeneration project The Scene at Cleveland Place, a new leisure destination for Waltham Forest. Hitchcock’s East End is presented with the Barbican and produced with The Nomad Cinema. Details of the further screenings and events will be released in Autumn.

Hadrian Garrard, Director, Create London, said: “It’s hard to believe that there hasn’t been a cinema for over 10 years in the birthplace borough of one of this country’s leading film directors. We thought the opening of the new cinema in 2014 was something worth celebrating. Hitchcock’s East End will be a very special series of screenings that will provide a stunning east London setting for some of the director’s greatest work and give the opportunity for local people and wider audiences to discover the heritage and creative history of Waltham Forest.”

Leader of the Council, Chris Robbins, said: “The Scene at Cleveland Place, includes a multi-screen cinema along with homes, shops and restaurants. Transforming the heart of Walthamstow to create a new entertainment destination, this series of Hitchcock screenings, walks and talks is the perfect way to build up to the opening of our very own cinema.”

Robert Rider, Head of Cinema, the Barbican, said: "We're delighted to be working with Create London to bring these Hitchcock classics to the director's birthplace in Leytonstone. The Barbican has a long history of high-quality programming and partnerships with artists and organisations in the east London and we're thrilled to be adding these unique screenings to the Beyond Barbican programme."

Producing and commissioning socially engaged projects in east London for the past four years, Create London work to spread the benefits of being home to Europe's largest cultural quarter to the people who live in east London.

Hitchcock’s East End will be a highlight in Create London’s 2013 programme which includes producing the Open East Festival; a weekend of family arts celebration to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and taking place in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a new artist residency with Chisenhale Gallery which will see artist Edward Thomasson work with untrained actors from east London to develop a live performance this summer, the forthcoming announcement of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Create Art Award 2013, and the opening of Open School East this September - a non- fee paying art school and communal space set up to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, skills and collaborative opportunities between artists, local residents and neighbourhood organisations in the heart of East London.

Despite having the highest concentration of artists and creative businesses in Europe, east London has remarkably low levels of cultural engagement and remains one of the most deprived parts of the UK. Create London works to bridge the traditional divisions of class, culture, education and social background between the creative community and local people.

By commissioning major projects, attracting new audiences and working in partnership to profile the cultural life of the area, Create London plays a vital role in the continued economic regeneration of east London. The programme is underpinned by Create Jobs, which provides mentoring, support and paid employment opportunities for local young people.

Create London have commissioned major projects for 2013 including new interactive theatre production Bank On It which opens up the world of economics to children and is co-commissioned with the Barbican, the opening of Blackhorse Workshop; a place where local residents, artists, designers and DIY-ers can make, mend and learn in Waltham Forest, a new digital interactive film and performance commission from Hannah Perry called Have A Nice Day, a series of commissions for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in partnership with The Architecture Foundation called Emerging East Commissions, The Paper Architect; a site specific theatre performance and workshop series co-commissioned with the Barbican which explores the craft of paper cutting and video projections, and the Create London Talks Programme which will provide an opportunity to examine some of the issues and possibilities of working in the public domain for artists, curators, funders and audiences alike.

Find out more about Hitchcock’s East End and Create London at www.createlondon.org.