Latest news with #MediCinema
BBC News
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Alder Hey: 'Delight' at Bafta win for hospital cinema charity
Staff at a children's hospital in Liverpool have said they are "delighted" the charity behind its on-site cinema was awarded a Bafta on Sunday evening for its outstanding contribution to charity MediCinema opened a cinema at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in November, which has since held over 50 screenings for in excess of 300 of fundraising at the hospital, Cath Harding, said the facility had been "a game changer" for young patients and their families."It makes such a difference to them when they are in hospital," she said. "It puts a smile on their face and provides that little bit of magic that we like to do at Alder Hey." The cinema has capacity for 34 youngsters and their families with seating as well as space for wheelchairs and hospital was paid for by donations raised jointly between Alder Hey Children's Charity and MediCinema."It is such a brilliant facility to have at the hospital for all our patients and their families going through what can be a really extraordinary, really difficult time for them," Ms Harding added."It enables them to immerse themselves into another world away from hospital, which is really important for mental health emotional wellbeing." Ms Harding said some of the children had never been to a cinema so the experience was "a real game changer"."The smile on their faces is a joy to see," she said."The children can enjoy an experience that other children and their families may take for granted."MediCinema was first established in 1999 and operates cinemas across the country in hospitals in London, Newcastle, Glasgow and Newport. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Al-Ahram Weekly
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
PHOTO GALLERY: Highlights of the Bafta's gala
Romanian-US actor Sebastian Stan (L) and US actor Jeremy Strong pose on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP Romanian-US actor Sebastian Stan (L) and US actor Jeremy Strong pose on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP British actor Will Poulter poses in the winners room at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP British actor Will Poulter poses in the winners room at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP Nick Park, left, Merlin Crossingham, right, and presenter Camila Cabello, pose with the award for best children's family film at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London. AP Nick Park, left, Merlin Crossingham, right, and presenter Camila Cabello, pose with the award for best children's family film at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London. AP US-Domenican actress Zoe Saldana poses with the award for Best supporting actress for "Emilia Perez" during the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP US-Domenican actress Zoe Saldana poses with the award for Best supporting actress for "Emilia Perez" during the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP US actor Adrien Brody and Fashion designer Georgina Chapman pose on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP US actor Adrien Brody and Fashion designer Georgina Chapman pose on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP US actor and screenwriter Jesse Eisenberg poses with the award for Best original screenplay for "A Real Pain" during the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP US actor and screenwriter Jesse Eisenberg poses with the award for Best original screenplay for "A Real Pain" during the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP CEO of MediCinema, Colin Lawrence, left, poses with the outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award with presenter Simon Pegg at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London. AP CEO of MediCinema, Colin Lawrence, left, poses with the outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award with presenter Simon Pegg at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London. AP US actress Mikey Madison poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP US actress Mikey Madison poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP US Director Brady Brady Corbet (L) and his wife Mona Fastvold poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP US Director Brady Brady Corbet (L) and his wife Mona Fastvold poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP British actor Ralph Fiennes poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP British actor Ralph Fiennes poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP Hugh Grant, left, and Anna Elisabet Eberstein pose for photographers upon arrival at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London. AP Hugh Grant, left, and Anna Elisabet Eberstein pose for photographers upon arrival at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London. AP US actress Selena Gomez poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP US actress Selena Gomez poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP Swiss film director Ian Bonhote, US film producer Peter Ettedgui, British documentary producer Lizzie Gillett and film producer Robert Ford pose with the award for Best documentary for "Super/Man : The Christopher Reeve Story" during the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP Swiss film director Ian Bonhote, US film producer Peter Ettedgui, British documentary producer Lizzie Gillett and film producer Robert Ford pose with the award for Best documentary for "Super/Man : The Christopher Reeve Story" during the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP British actor Orlando Bloom poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP British actor Orlando Bloom poses on the red carpet upon arrival at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, in London. AFP
BBC News
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Baftas 2025: The winners list in full
The winners at the Bafta Film Awards, celebrating the best in big screen action over the past 12 months, have been revealed. Best film Winner: ConclaveAnoraThe BrutalistA Complete UnknownEmilia Pérez Outstanding British film Winner: ConclaveBirdBlitzGladiator IIHard TruthsKneecapLeeLove Lies BleedingThe OutrunWallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Leading actress Winner: Mikey Madison - AnoraCynthia Erivo - WickedKarla Sofía Gascón - Emilia PérezMarianne Jean-Baptiste - Hard TruthsDemi Moore - The SubstanceSaoirse Ronan - The Outrun Leading actor Winner: Adrien Brody - The BrutalistTimothée Chalamet - A Complete UnknownColman Domingo - Sing SingRalph Fiennes - ConclaveHugh Grant - HereticSebastian Stan - The Apprentice Supporting actress Winner: Zoe Saldaña - Emilia PérezSelena Gomez - Emilia PérezAriana Grande - WickedFelicity Jones - The BrutalistJamie Lee Curtis - The Last ShowgirlIsabella Rossellini - Conclave Supporting actor Winner: Kieran Culkin - A Real PainYura Borisov - AnoraClarence Maclin - Sing SingEdward Norton - A Complete UnknownGuy Pearce - The BrutalistJeremy Strong - The Apprentice Director Winner: The Brutalist - Brady CorbetAnora - Sean BakerConclave - Edward BergerDune: Part Two - Denis VilleneuveEmilia Pérez - Jacques AudiardThe Substance - Coralie Fargeat Bafta Fellowship Warwick Davis Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer Winner: KneecapHoardMonkey ManSantoshSister Midnight Film not in the English language Winner: Emilia PérezAll We Imagine As LightI'm Still HereKneecapThe Seed of the Sacred Fig Outstanding British contribution to cinema MediCinema, the British charity dedicated to improving the wellbeing of patients in NHS hospitals Documentary Winner: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve StoryBlack Box DiariesDaughtersNo Other LandWill & Harper Animated film Winner: Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most FowlFlowInside Out 2The Wild Robot Children's and family film Winner: Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most FowlFlowKensuke's KingdomThe Wild Robot Original screenplay Winner: A Real PainAnoraThe BrutalistKneecapThe Substance Adapted screenplay Winner: ConclaveA Complete UnknownEmilia PérezNickel BoysSing Sing EE Bafta rising star award (voted for by the public) Winner: David JonssonMarisa AbelaJharrel JeromeMikey MadisonNabhaan Rizwan Original score Winner: The Brutalist - Daniel BlumbergConclave - Volker BertelmannEmilia Pérez - Camille, Clément DucolNosferatu - Robin CarolanThe Wild Robot - Kris Bowers Casting Winner: AnoraThe ApprenticeA Complete UnknownConclaveKneecap Cinematography Winner: The BrutalistConclaveDune: Part TwoEmilia PérezNosferatu Costume design Winner: WickedBlitzA Complete UnknownConclaveNosferatu Editing Winner: ConclaveAnoraDune: Part TwoEmilia PérezKneecap Production design Winner: WickedThe BrutalistConclaveDune: Part TwoNosferatu Make-up and hair Winner: The SubstanceDune: Part TwoEmilia PérezNosferatuWicked Sound Winner: Dune: Part TwoBlitzGladiator IIThe SubstanceWicked Special visual effects Winner: Dune: Part TwoBetter ManGladiator IIKingdom of the Planet of the ApesWicked British short film Winner: Rock, Paper, ScissorsThe Flowers Stand Silently, WitnessingMarionMilkStomach Bug British short animation Winner: Wander to WonderAdiósMog's Christmas
The Guardian
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘It became a lifeline': the charity bringing cinema to hospital patients
'MediCinema is part of my life,' says 12-year-old Lucas Rae-Shreenan. 'It just takes me away from what else is happening.' Lucas has been going to screenings put on by the charity, which builds, installs and runs cinemas in hospitals, since before he could talk. His mother, Melanie, would pop him in the pram in front of the screen to get a break from the neonatal unit. On Sunday, that charity will receive the prestigious outstanding British contribution to cinema award at the Baftas. MediCinema has helped Lucas – who spent a sizeable chunk of his childhood at the Glasgow's royal hospital for children, after he was born with an extremely rare chromosome disorder that means he cannot eat or drink – to become a committed film fan. He even made his own marmalade sandwich out of felt to complement his blue duffle coat costume for a special preview screening of Paddington in Peru last November, unaware that a surprise guest, Hugh Bonneville who plays Mr Brown, was making an appearance. But for Lucas, the best bit about MediCinema is the volunteers who bring patients from the wards and keep them company at the screenings. 'One person Billy is in his 80s and we've been friends for ages,' Lucas says. 'He lets me help him with his jobs, he lets me take the register and take the tickets. Then we sit together and have a wee catch-up before the film starts.' Last Monday at around 5.45pm, Billy Rodden and four other volunteers were waiting at the entrance to the purpose-built cinema, with rainbow-coloured seats and clear space at the front to park beds, wheelchairs and IV drips. 'The wee 'uns love it,' said Rodden, who has volunteered for the charity for 16 years. 'You see the expression on their faces, especially the ones who are in hospital for months at a time, they get to do something normal for a few hours.' As children and their carers began to arrive for the screening of the animated comedy caper Dog Man (based on Dav Pilkey's hugely popular graphic novel series) Rodden strolled around the tiered seating, pausing for a high five here and there The audience comprised all ages, stages of treatment and pyjama styles. Everything about the space replicated an ordinary cinema – comfy seats that may encourage a parent or two to nod off; the encompassing darkness, requiring volunteer ushers and the two attending nurses to use torches when assisting toilet visits; the surround sound; and the soundproofing to ensure that nearby wards are not disturbed. Indeed, the only difference between this and a commercial screening is the absence of rustling of snack packets, a blanket policy so that those who are fasting or on restricted diets don't feel left out. Many of the youngsters are accompanied by their parents. As Melanie, Lucas's mother, says: 'The first time we went it was more of a lift for me.' 'But as the years went, the staff became his friends. They've known him since he was a baby and watched him grow up. They went through all his milestones with me.' Lucas was also diagnosed with autism at the age of three. 'Now the volunteers print out the timetable for him because he enjoys the routine. They take a lot of time with him and it breaks up his day'. 'Kids have their own rooms on the wards but can feel quite isolated,' says cinema manager Kate Thomson. 'Here, they get to see other kids in hospital, some of them make friends and you can really tell it's changed their day.' The screenings also offer a chance for parents and patients' siblings to be together as a family, says Thomson. There are private viewings for immunocompromised kids and teenagers can bring schoolfriends in to see a film ahead of its cinema release: 'It makes them feel cool, which I'd imagine is not something they feel often in hospital.' The idea for MediCinema came about in 1996, when founder Christine Hill was inspired after seeing nurses at St Thomas' hospital in London wheeling patients outside in their beds to watch the boats go by on the River Thames. The first MediCinema opened at St Thomas' in 1999 and the most recent in Alder Hey in Liverpool last November. The charity now has six purpose-built hospital cinemas across England Wales and Scotland, with new MediCinemas soon to come to Great Ormond Street in London and the Oxford Road campus of Manchester university NHS trust – the largest trust in the UK. The cinemas operate at no cost to the NHS and in partnership with local hospital charities. And MediCinema's ambition is to become a national charity with their screens in every NHS region. CEO Colin Lawrence hopes their 'incredible' Bafta recognition will hasten that ambition. 'It's such a simple concept that we're able to have a scalable impact in such a profound way for patients.' 'When you walk into MediCinema you don't feel that you're in a hospital any longer. You're enjoying something which everybody in the outside world has access to and that's a very empowering thing.' 'Not only does it bring all the wonder of film, taking you to a place that you might not be able to get to physically, but it diminishes stress, changes people's moods and you can create connections with other parents or patients.' Lawrence says that the non-medical volunteers who facilitate patients' visits are just as vital to the whole experience as the hospital staff. 'You've got somebody who's not part of the hospital environment, coming into your ward, talking to you about the film saying, 'We can make this really easy for you'. That's giving people a sense of agency, isn't it? There's a human to human conversation with somebody that sees you as another person, not as a bed number.' That's precisely the phrase that 27-year-old Claire Pitt Wigmore uses about her own experience of MediCinema at Guy's and St Thomas', where she received inpatient treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma for 12 weeks. 'It really became a lifeline for me. I wasn't able to function as a normal human and at times I felt incredibly isolated, sad and angry,' says the guitar teacher and performer, who has been cancer free for 18 months. On her first visit, she had anticipated 'a few chairs and a projector. I didn't expect to walk into a built-in Odeon.' 'The volunteers and staff got to know you on first-name terms and asked about your life outside of being in hospital. It was really reassuring to be known as Claire the person, an individual rather than a bed number.' For Nathan Askew, chief nursing officer at Alder Hey, the charity allows staff to build a more relaxed relationship with patients as well as have some fun themselves. 'It's hard working for the NHS at times and this is such a lovely way to use your nursing skills. The children and their families see you in a different role to when you're their allocated nurse on the ward, and it's really a bit of a reprieve for everyone.' 'The beauty of MediCinema is that it can do so many different things,' says Askew, who has been working with the charity since it opened its cinema at St Thomas'. 'For older patients, they'll do the silver screenings, where you can see someone who's quite confused with dementia have a period of relative calm through the experience of the film and music. Then there might be a screening for a group of young people who have got the same condition, like a stoma bag, which can be really difficult to talk about.' 'You can provide a really tailored experience, so maybe that's somebody at the end of their life who can have their family around them to watch a movie. And at the other end of the scale you've got complete escapism. Film transcends all ages, all cultures, all backgrounds – it's really powerful.'
