I first heard about the event at Troxy Theatre in Stepney when @JimmyLazers tweeted how bloody he excited he was about Secret Screenings. I investigated this some more and there did indeed seem to be an undercurrent of excitement surrounding what was billed as the inaugural event of a new series from the group responsible for Secret Cinema. This billing, coupled with the fact that Troxy is walking distance from my flat and I’m lazy, was enough to make me get online to see if I could snap up a couple of tickets. Then I saw the price tag — £25 per ticket for something that nobody has yet seen, and that is surrounded by nothing but hype and buzz. I was skint but I was intrigued, so against my better judgement I parted with £50 for 2 tickets and asked questions later.

After a short walk it was easy to see that we’d found it alright, because there was a congregation of about 30 people outside a striking (if dilapidated) Art Deco theatre who were all dressed in  neon shorts, gaudy t-shirts, Hawaiian garlands, sun hats and sunglasses (the invitation requested that we wear our best Californian beach wear). We were also told to bring a vinyl or cassette tape to swap upon arrival.

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Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward in Moonrise Kingdom [Anderson, 2012]