In our digital world, films, cinema and TV have become isolating activities. Yet, more and more people are yearning for community. We chat with Charlie and Betsy from Lounge Trip - an upcoming youth cinema collective aiming to redefine cinemas as spaces which serve young people, provide opportunities and unite younger audiences.
What was the inspiration behind Lounge Trip?
We launched Lounge Trip as a collective group aimed at under 25’s to get young people into cinemas. The ethos is that it’s ‘for young people by young people’ as we are eighteen and nineteen ourselves. The idea is that it's like friends at a sleepover going, ‘oh, you'd like this. It's really cool’ but held at the cinema. We think it’s really powerful to share emotions with a group of people, through film.
Why is it so important to you to centre this around young people?
We both participated in a BFI Film Academy Course For Filmmakers at Broadway Cinema. As a part of that, we noticed that there weren't a lot of people our age at the screens, and we wanted to change that. We got very lucky, doing BFI academy opened so many doors for us, but if you're past nineteen, you've missed the opportunity to do that. Lounge Trip is about creating a network for people who feel like they don't have access. We aim to extend this for young people that are interested in film, not even necessarily filmmaking, and our mission is trying to create an accessible network for those people.
What will your upcoming event February 14 involve?
We'll be selling all the artwork in the foyer and Broadway from twelve onwards. We've chosen a range of artists for our upcoming event: we've got digital artists; someone who's made postcards; we've even got someone crocheting. Then, At 6:15 The film (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) will be on and we're also showing a short film. We're going to do an introduction to the film and talk just about why we like it. Plus, after the film, we want to invite all of the audience to stick around to have a drink in the bar and talk about the film!
Lounge Trip is about creating a network for people who feel like they don't have access
Is there a way people can get involved? For example, aspiring creators or young film enthusiasts?
With our curation events we look to commission artists. We want to promote young people as much as possible and give opportunities to non-professional people. For example, of all the artists we've hired, only one of them has got a degree in fine art. With the short films, we only accepted those from under 25’s. So, it's about people who might not get the exposure professionally. If people want to get involved for future screenings they can simply respond to an open call on our Instagram. All we ask is that they are passionate about their craft.
Is there an ultimate goal you have in mind with this project?
We want people to enjoy films and support independent filmmakers who aren't getting a real chance, so if you've missed opportunities this can provide you with that chance. We have a logic that you can be as involved as you want. If you're a filmmaker, there's a network there if you want it. But if you just want to go to screenings, that’s also an option. It can be as small as that.
Tickets for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are now SOLD OUT, but you can find out more about Lounge Trip on their Instagram
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