Borehamwood’s Reel Cinema has been relaunched after it was saved from closure.
Eastenders star Michelle Collins and town mayor Cllr Alpha Collins cut the ribbon at the refurbished cinema on Sunday (1 December) and helped open a new exhibition celebrating Borehamwood’s cinema and televisual history.
Last year, it looked like the cinema at The Point would have to close – until Hertsmere Borough Council and Elstree & Borehamwood Town Council stepped in with a plan to save it.
Since then, the cinema has been refurbished and has been renamed Reel Studio 70, commemorating the historic Studio 70 cinema on Shenley Road that opened in 1936 and was demolished in 1981.
Screens are expected to be occasionally made available for community use as part of the deal to save the cinema.
To mark the cinema’s relaunch, an exhibition has been put on about the 110-year history of film and television at Elstree.
Among the items on show are MGM lettering from the tower at their studios, the model of Tower Bridge used in 2014’s Paddington in Peru, photos of King Charles’ visit to Elstree Studios in 1999, and a director’s jacket worn by Scooter on the set of The Muppets in 1976.
The area was once home to six major film studios and still hosts Elstree Studios, Sky Studios Elstree and the BBC Elstree Centre, where Eastenders is filmed.
Hertsmere Borough Council leader Cllr Jeremy Newmark said the relaunch is “fantastic for the town and the wider area”.
He continued: “We’ve always maintained that, with such a proud film and television heritage, it was almost unthinkable that Borehamwood should be left without a cinema for our residents at the heart of the community.”
Cllr Newmark said the project had “saved valuable jobs” and showed “how much can be achieved for residents when there is a collaborative approach and a common goal”.
Cllr Dan Ozarow, deputy town mayor, said: “This is an incredibly proud day for our town, and this initiative has been truly community-led.
“Former and current film industry workers and their families, local councillors, students, TV stars and residents have all come together not only to keep Hollywood in Borehamwood but now to encapsulate both the historic heritage and current vibrancy of our film and television sector in this spectacular exhibition.”
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