The Strand Arts Centre is an independent four-screen

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It is one of the two remaining independent cinemas in Belfast, alongside the

Queen's Film Theatre The Queen's Film Theatre or QFT is an independent cinema at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland founded in 1968. When first opened, the Queen’s Film Theatre focused mainly on art house, indie and world cinema, playing an important ro ...

. It is located on the Holywood Road. It has long been acclaimed for being one of the cheapest cinemas in Belfast. Opened in 1935, the cinema's art-deco design was influenced by its proximity to the nearby shipyard of

Harland & Wolff Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...

, featuring curved walls and portholed foyer. The cinema underwent various unsympathetic renovations throughout the 1960s and 1970s. From 1984 to 1987, The Strand was re-opened as a live concert venue by local businessman, Ronnie Rutherford. In 1999, the building was restored to its original Streamline Moderne style, and remains a landmark in east Belfast. Following its restoration, the Strand won a RIBA Architecture Award. The Strand originally built for an English Unions Cinema chain, and consisted of a single screen. The first film to be shown in the theatre was Bright Eyes featuring Shirley Temple. The Strand is one of the venues for the

Belfast Film Festival The Belfast Film Festival is Northern Ireland's largest film festival, attracting over 25,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1995, the festival has grown to include the Docs Ireland international documentary festival, as well as an Audi ...

, during which it screens classic films. During the 2005 festival the cinema celebrated its 70th birthday by screening '' A Night to Remember'', the 1958 film about the sinking of RMS ''Titanic'', built by Harland & Wolff. In 2012, The Strand once again offered live theatre as it did in the past, beginning with The Strand Star search, a talent show to find new acts for its new variety nights. It was featured prominently in the first episode of the 2020

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

comedy '' My Left Nut''.

References

http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/features/film/ten-things-you-might-not-know-about-strand

External links

Official website
Buildings and structures in Belfast Culture in Belfast Cinemas in Northern Ireland Buildings and structures completed in 1935 Streamline Moderne architecture in the United Kingdom {{NorthernIreland-stub