Cinematic experiences under the stars!
We’re delighted to be bringing a series of immersive outdoor film screenings to iconic locations across Bradford district as part of Bradford 2025.
Audiences will be immersed in the worlds of three cult classics – Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Sexy Beast at the iconic Ilkley Lido, and The Grand Budapest Hotel at the breathtaking Thornton Viaduct.
Audiences will be invited into an experience which extents beyond a film screening alone.
There’ll be live performances, costumed characters, illusory installations and a whole world to explore before each film begins.
From the very beginning we’ve approached this project not just as a series of screenings, but as full experiences where the environment, atmosphere, and storytelling all come together to transport audiences to a different world.
We’ve carefully matched each film with a location that enhances and elevates its world, from the optimistic glamour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the iconic Ilkley Lido, to the tense, sun-drenched intensity of Sexy Beast, and the nostalgic elegance of The Grand Budapest Hotel at Thornton Viaduct. Each site will be more than just a backdrop, it becomes an integral part of the experience, helping to blur the lines between film and reality.
The Pool of Hopes and Dreams, Ilkley Lido
Friday 22nd August – Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Saturday 23rd August – Sexy Beast
We’re transforming Ilkley Lido into a glittering, technicolour wonderland for a screening of the glorious musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie on Friday 22nd August. There’ll be mirrorball unicorn sculptures, glowing fish, fortune tellers with crystal balls, and technicolour characters in drag who want to make your dreams come true.
Then things take a darker turn on night two as we show pitch-black comedy Sexy Beast. Suddenly the glittery unicorns look out of place, the fish glow with a sinister light, the smiles of the drag acts start to slip, and the fortune teller can only see darkness on the horizon.
The Thornton Escapade, Thornton Viaduct
Saturday 13th September – The Grand Budapest Hotel
For one night only, Thornton Viaduct will become the backdrop for a Wes Anderson-inspired cinematic experience. Audiences will enter a meticulously curated, curious world, with deliberately incongruous sets, welcoming characters and thematic vendors, before settling down to watch The Grand Budapest Hotel.