The Albert Cinema Experience

In 1912, Sweetingham’s Cinema opened on Silvertown’s Albert Road, close to Lord Street. Later known as the Silvertown Picture Palace, it finally became the Albert Cinema and was a popular location for locals to see the latest films until its closure in 1938. Not far away, in Canning Town, in 1931 two of the 20th century’s most iconic figures met – Mahatma Gandhi and Charlie Chaplin. Their historic meeting was one of the inspirations for Chaplin’s classic film Modern Times.

This June, FeastFest will pay tribute to Newham’s cinema history with an immersive film screening and food tasting event that will take us back in time to the 1930s and even earlier…

As part of a heritage project supported by the London Borough of Newham, we invite you to a live demonstration of cinema snacks from 1912 – 1938 based on historical research of the favourite nibbles of the era in East London. This will be following by an immersive screening of Modern Times that will recreate the atmosphere of the Albert Cinema.

With the cinema being a communal space, we hope to explore how the shared experience of cinema-going can show what we have ‘In Common’.

1-2pm: Sharing of research and food tasting of 1912-1938 cinema snacks
2-4pm: Modern Times screening followed by live piano