24 January 2011 Images of Eastbourne seafront and downland transformed into 1960s Brighton are about to hit the big screen and Eastbourne is working with BAFTA and Screen South to stage a special Gala Screening to celebrate the UK release of Brighton Rock.
With the makers spending over three weeks filming in Eastbourne in 2009, the town features heavily in the new adaptation of Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock and invited guests will have the chance to view the movie one day ahead of its cinema release.
The Gala Screening will take place at Cineworld, Eastbourne, on Thursday 3rd February and Eastbourne Borough Council are offering the opportunity for residents and visitors to win tickets to the exclusive invite-only event.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism, Cllr Neil Stanley said “We are tremendously excited for the release of Brighton Rock and can’t wait to see all of the fabulous scenes filmed in Eastbourne. From the film’s trailer alone, we can see just how much of Brighton Rock features Eastbourne, and it is brilliant news that we have the support of BAFTA, Screen South, Cineworld and Optimum Releasing to put on the Gala Screening in Eastbourne. It will be a great opportunity to showcase Eastbourne as a film location and say thank you to the many people who helped make it happen.”
The film’s writer/director Rowan Joffe will be attending the Gala Screening and hosting a Q&A session at the end offering an insight into the making of the film.
With a limited number of seats available, the event will be invite only with the chance for excited film fans to win tickets to the screening through competitions on VisitEastbourne.com and Eastbourne Borough Council’s facebook and twitter pages.
Brighton Rock cinema-goers will have the chance to see Eastbourne locations transformed back to the mods and rockers era, with Eastbourne Pier dressed up to resemble Brighton’s Palace Pier in the 60s, and hundreds of classic Lambretta scooters riding along the seafront.
The film is the latest in a string of major feature films shot in Eastbourne, with the town having also featured in last year’s Made in Dagenham and 2008’s Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging. And with an estimated 1 in 10 visits to the UK being attributed to the impact of British films with overseas visitors going to locations featured in their favourite movies, Eastbourne tourism bosses want to promote the destination to ‘set-jetters’ around the globe.
For more information on Brighton Rock or for the chance to win tickets to the Gala Screening go to the VisitEastbourne website or the Council's social networking pages.
