| Cinema City | - Cinema City was the very first regional film theatre in the UK and provided the model for most arthouse film exhibition in the UK.
- Work is currently underway at its historic Grade 1 listed site on St Andrews Street (parts of which date back to the 16th century) to transform it into a state of the art three-screen facility.
- It will open in spring 2007 with greatly improved facilities for disabled customers, greater seating capacity and a new caf茅 bar.
- A previously hidden 17th century wood panelled room will be opened up as a quiet place to relax and meet friends with comfortable chairs and sofas.
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Cinema City, Norwich's only arthouse cinema, is celebrating the start of its major reconstruction stage which will see it transformed into a three-screen venue. To celebrate, Cinema City will host a special gala fundraising evening on Sunday 20 November, hosted by Karl Minns, of Norwich's comedy duo The Nimmo Twins. "After the unfortunate delays caused by circumstances beyond our control, it's really pleasing to be able to celebrate the major construction phase of the new cinema getting under way with what promises to be such a wonderful evening," said Cinema City director, David Litchfield. Film-goers will have an opportunity to see how the redeveloped cinema will look, with the first public screening of a computer-generated 3D animated 'fly through' of the new cinema. There will also听be a showing of an animated film created by pupils from Costessey Infants School as part of the cinema's education programme.
 | | Director David Litchfield |
The animated film, Amazing Anglo-Saxon Adventure, made by the children of Costessey Infants School (with a little help from professional animator John Madeley), was created as part of a large鈥搒cale media production and literacy project developed and delivered by the cinema in partnership with Creative Partnerships Norfolk. The event will also include a screening of Mad Hot Ballroom, a charming film looking at New York's dancing competition for 10 and 11-year-olds, was a crowd pleaser at the Edinburgh Film Festival earlier this year. Redevelopment delays The redevelopment work to turn Cinema City into one of the first digital cinema facilities outside of London started two years ago, but work was hampered by an increase in the price of steel which had a knock-on effect on the budget. "The massive worldwide increase in the price of steel meant we had to go back to our funders and re-tender the project," said David.
 | | Still from Amazing Anglo-Saxon Adventure |
"But that is all behind us now and we look forward to reopening the cinema in spring 2007," he added. Cinema City was the very first regional film theatre in the UK and provided the model for most art house film exhibition in the UK. Work is currently underway at its historic Grade 1 listed site on St Andrews Street (parts of which date back to the 16th century). Re-opening in 2007 It will open in spring 2007 with greatly improved facilities for disabled customers, greater seating capacity and a new caf茅 bar. A previously hidden 17th century wood panelled room will be opened up as a quiet place to relax and meet friends. "I'd like to thank all our loyal customers and supporters and assure them that when the cinema reopens it will be one of the finest arthouse cinemas in the country showing even more of the sort of films we have built our reputation on," said David. "We shall, of course, continue to show films at The Playhouse until we re-open at our own building," he added. For more information of the fundraising event, contact the Cinema City box office on 01603 622047. All profits will go towards the cinema's redevelopment. | 
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