In a first for the Convention, 2024 will see the introduction of a Sunday night film show, from 8pm in the Grand Hotel’s Trafalagar Suite cinema (where the Film Fair shows take place).
The impetus for the new show came about earlier in the year. Convention co-organiser Adrian Winchester recalled that from around the early 1990s, the Collingwood Hotel on Blackpool’s North Shore was a popular place to stay for collectors attending the Convention. It was a very short walk from The Savoy, where most of Derann’s Conventions took place. In the 2000s, Projections editor Pete Travers proposed having a Sunday evening film show in the hotel lounge, and as the proprietor and fellow collectors approved, he brought a Yelco Super 8 projector, screen and speaker the following year. This continued in subsequent years, with programmes mostly consisting of films purchased during the Film Fair. So began the tradition of a relaxed, informal show that evokes memories of a family evening watching package movies. It even attracted some participants not staying at the Collingwood.
Having gained an enthusiastic response from some Blackpool regulars, we decided to resurrect this event for the present-day Conventions, both as a nostalgic reminder of those shows at the Collingwood, and as a fitting way to round off the weekend.
Film collector Phil Slater stepped up and has kindly offered to be the projectionist for this first Sunday evening, which we’re calling ‘The Collingwood Show’ as a nod to the show’s origins. Entry is free and please do bring along any Super 8 purchases that you would like to share.
Blackpool Film Collectors' Convention 