Plymouth College entrepreneur and Year 11 pupil, Ollie Saunders, is making a meal out of his first production - a film club within a chic Plymouth eatery. Ollie, 16, is working with the Royal William Bakery at Plymouth's Royal William Yard to stage a cinema and dining club during half-term, which runs from February 18-22.
Film buffs will be able to dine out on silent movie classics, slick thrillers and indy arthouse flicks, whilst tucking into the fresh-baked produce and hand-made snacks at the venue, which is in a new position in the Slaughterhouse Building near the entrance of the historic site. The famed Yard Cow sculptures are grazing right outside.
Family-friendly silent movies such as Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy will be shown from 5 p.m., followed by a series of locally-made short films, with a Hitchcock thriller at 9 p.m. Film-goers sign up for an annual membership of the Royal William Cinema, costing £5, which will give them entry to monthly screenings and week-long specials.
A fan of old classic films, Ollie got the idea for a social mini-cinema when working at the Port Eliot Festival.
"I haven't done anything like this before but I've always wanted to," said Ollie. "I am doing my GCSEs this year and originally approached Royal William Bakery owner, Clive Cobb, as part of my coursework on creative business. We talked through my idea for a micro-cinema and we agreed The Bakery was the perfect venue."
Clive said: "My business's ethos is about being 'a place to gather'. "Watching a film is another reason to gather so the mini-cinema is a natural extension of what we do. It will be a community event - not a cinema where the lights go out, where everyone's got to be silent and not rustle their maltesers, but where you can talk, discuss the movie and be sociable.
"Ollie is very impressive. He's incredibly presentable, he has everything going for him and he's got a brain. If he keeps on that track he'll be a very successful businessman."
Ollie has been working with the Cornwall Film Festival on a screen licence and on some indy movie content, and is now concentrating on promoting his inaugural cinematic session.
