Venue 30 May 2019
‘Best Cinema Experience in Scotland’ Winner!
The Hippodrome is very excited to announce that we won ‘Best Cinema Experience in Scotland’ at The Scottish Hospitality Awards this year.
The Hippodrome is very excited to announce that we won ‘Best Cinema Experience in Scotland’ at The Scottish Hospitality Awards this year. The nomination was made by hundreds of members of the public who love the Hippodrome and we couldn’t be more proud.
The other finalists in our category were several big chains and multi-screen independents:
- ODEON Luxe Glasgow Quay (Glasgow) (2018 winners)
- Cineworld Cinema – Renfield Street (Glasgow)
- Premier Leisure Cinema (Saltcoats)
- Empire – Clydebank (Clydebank)
- Glasgow Film Theatre (Glasgow)
- The Kino Cinema (Glenrothes)
- ODEON Luxe East Kilbride (East Kilbride)
- The Grosvenor – Glasgow (Glasgow)
- Cineworld Cinema – Dundee (Dundee)
The judging panel were impressed by the friendly welcome, the distinctive building, the excellent programme, the high levels of customer service, the role played by the cinema in the community, the success of the annual Hippodrome Silent Film Festival, the commitment to being accessible, and the cinema’s aspirational approach (see attached pdf for more info)
Alison Strauss, Arts Development Officer (Film and Media), Falkirk Community Trust said:
“We are tremendously proud of this award, which is a testament to the dedication, passion and commitment of everyone involved at Falkirk Community Trust in making the Hippodrome such a great cinema, enjoyed by so many. The fact that we were nominated by the public makes the accolade extra special, and the team are still on a high… It’s wonderful to know that something we all hold so dear, and work so hard on, is appreciated at a national level. The fact that this award has been made in our 10th anniversary year since the restoration and re-opening is perfect: we couldn’t ask for a better birthday present for the Hippodrome.”
The award is, in part, a recognition of the Hippodrome’s regular, high-quality and diverse programme of special events, Q&As, post-screening discussions, schools workshops, talks and tours that really makes the cinema stand out from the rest.
“At the Hippodrome we aim to make a trip to the cinema out-of-the-ordinary. Whether you come to a sing-along screening, a themed costume event, or an illuminating talk, we want to offer a memorable visit for everyone. Every so often we are lucky enough to host some of the talent involved with making a movie, to have a blether after the film and share with us their behind-the-scenes insights. In recent months we’ve welcomed a range of Scottish talent, including Scottish directing royalty Bill Forsyth and comedian Sanjeev Kohli, and in June we will bring the director Steven Lewis Simpson to the Hippodrome for an exclusive Q&A about his new feature Neither Wolf Nor Dog (Sunday 9th June 19:30).
Steven Lewis Simpson turned the conventional model of film distribution up-side-down when he decided to distribute his film independently. An apparently risky strategy but one that has paid off, as his film has become the most successful self-distributed movie of 2017 in the US, playing at over 120 cinemas in the US and Canada, and still counting. This promises to be a great conversation and we hope to hear about how he assembled the cast (including Chief Dave Bald Eagle: hero of D-Day, and co-star to Marilyn Munro and Errol Flynn!), and how he realised his vision to bring to the screen the hitherto great un-made, contemporary Native American novel… “
