The Gallery Is Set To Premiere At INDIs Leeds 2023 Before Releasing In Select UK Cinemas In Late March
The Gallery interactive film will have its UK premiere at the Independent Directions (INDIs) Film Festival on 22nd February. Book tickets Here
Written and directed by Paul Raschid, one of the most prolific interactive filmmakers The Gallery is a thrilling combination of hostage thriller and social drama with a dash of world film festival cinema aesthetic. Two Decades. Two identities. It’s going to take everything you’ve got to survive the night.
The Gallery has been created to engage both film fans and gamers with its blend of high production values, stellar cast and a nuanced script depicting the film’s two time periods – 1981 and 2021 – both of which are of considerable political, social, and cultural significance in UK history.
The cinema version lasts around 140 minutes with a screening of both time periods or 70 minutes with a screening of one time period.
The cinema screening takes place with a Facilitator “playing” The Gallery on a laptop using Steam with the lap-top connected to the auditorium’s screen and sound system via HDMI link. As the audience enters, they are given “Glowsticks” which they use to vote for their choices. The Facilitator pauses the film for two to three seconds at each decision point. The majority choice of the audience as indicated by the “Glowsticks” prevails and the film continues. See the short video of the in-cinema experience from the link below.
The Gallery cast includes George Blagden (Louis XIV in Versailles and Athelstan in Vikings), Anna Popplewell (Susan Pevensie in Disney’s Narnia franchise), Kara Tointon (Mr. Selfridge and Eastenders); Rebecca Root (The Queen’s Gambit); Richard Fleeshman (The Sandman and Coronation Street), Shannon Tarbet (Killing Eve and Love Sarah) and Fehinti Balogun (I May Destroy You).
The interactive film is at the convergence of Film and Video Games.
At the December industry event Focus London 2022; The Gallery was selected to be the case study of a seminar hosted by Games London.
The seminar considered 2 questions:
1. With UK cinema admissions ending 2022 at 70 % of the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, and 2023 projections showing little recovery can the interactive film make a significant contribution to bringing people back to the big screen?
And
2. Can the Games market offer independent producers and filmmakers a sustainable alternative to a film & TV ecosystem now dominated by the streamers?
The Seminar included presentations by Paul Raschid and Neville Raschid (Founder / CEO of Aviary Films) and was well attended.
Following its world premiere in the section “Cinema – Past, Present and Future” at the 2022 Dinard Film Festival, The Gallery was the opening night film at the British Film Week at Le Grand Logis, Bruz near Rennes which ran from January 14th to the 21st.
The Gallery received a hugely positive reaction at the Dinard Film Festival in late September 2022 and at Rennes on 14th -16th January.
The six screenings at Dinard and Rennes were well-attended, with the innovative and immersive cinema experience receiving uniformly strong responses from all age groups: 60+, 25-60 and under-25. See the articles in Ouest France at the bottom of the Press Release in Additional Information.
The Rennes screening on 16th January was attended by 250+ high school students aged 16-18 who engaged enthusiastically with the interactive film concept and The Gallery received a huge ovation at the end of the screening.
