A NEW pop up cinema event is heading to Stretford Mall.

The event will be held on the top floor of the multi-storey car park at the mall on Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23.

It will kick off with a screening of the first surviving film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, more than a century after it first wowed silent movie audiences.

Audience members are set for a magical experience as the film, directed by Gerolamo Lo Savio in Italy in 1912, is to be screened alongside a live performance by dancers who will weave among the crowd, accompanied by an ethereal electronic DJ soundtrack.

The first night of the event, called the Spirit of the Essoldo, is dedicated to Shakespeare’s tragic romance Romeo and Juliet with the 1912 silent film to be followed by a screening of Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film adaptation of the classic play.

The event aims to bring the spirit of Stretford’s iconic art deco Essoldo cinema back to life, and is the brainchild of organiser Heather Garlick, owner of Stretford’s Sip Club.

Heather will be running a craft beer and cocktail bar on the night, and there will be food stalls from local vendors selling Indian street food, pizza, hotdogs, coffee and ice-cream.

They will continue on the second night for a screening of American action film Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, when there will also be a unique art installation of a giant popcorn monster serving snacks to the public.

Heather said: “I’m from Stretford and I walk past the Essoldo every day, and it’s such a shame that it isn’t showing films any more. I always imagine what it must have been like to watch a film there and we just wanted to bring that back.

“A group of us were sitting in my bar talking, and we realised between us we had a lot of experience running events, so we thought we’d take matters into our own hands.

“The venue at Stretford Mall is very urban it’s the 4th floor which is a huge place and the views are fantastic.

“I wanted to do something to reflect the urban nature of where we live, the edgy side of living in a city. The Mall have been great and the setting enables us to be a bit more edgy and gritty with our film choices. We wanted to have a proper pop up cinema suits Stretford.

“We wanted it to be like a night out so we’ve created different atmospheres.

“Friday night will be a bit romantic, ethereal, spacey kind of vibe with the dancers, and on Saturday we’ve got the Hollywood gangster film so it’s a bit more of a party night with a dystopian vibe.

“We wanted something that brought out the ethereal nature of the film. A night to reflect the festival style of the Baz Lurmann film.”

Gareth Wilkins centre manager for Stretford Mall said: “We’re delighted to be hosting the Spirit of the Essoldo event. The team have worked really hard to come up with a wonderfully creative line-up. It’s set to be a spectacular weekend and something really special for Stretford.”

Heather is running the event with Alistair Todd, who is the project’s technical expert, outdoor events manager Annika Edge, and professional photographer David Donovan Brown.

Romeo and Juliet was performed in 1595 and tells the story of star crossed lovers from two warring families who fall in love with tragic consequences.

The play is first thought to have been filmed in 1908 in America, but that footage has been lost, so the footage from the 1912 film to be screened at Stretford Mall is the last surviving footage.

The silent movie features Francesca Bertini as Juliet and Gustavo Serena as Romeo. It lasts for half an hour and will be screened twice on the Friday night at 6.45pm and 7.30pm.

Heather said: “We chose Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet because we wanted something edgy, but also with crowd appeal for a fun night.

“I was looking around for something interesting to put alongside it, I wanted it to be a bit different to a standard screening.

“I stumbled across this very early version from 1912 and I thought that might have been the kind of things people would have watched in the original Essoldo.

“It’s going to look absolutely fantastic with the electronic music and these really ethereal dancers.

“I travelled in India for a while and you watch the action a lot more when you can’t hear the scripts. It’s going to be a really special night."

Tickets to Spirit of the Essoldo screenings are on sale now priced at £12. Blanket and chair bundles are available to add on for £4 or guests can bring their own.

For tickets visit: buytickets.at/spiritoftheessoldo more information visit the Spirit of the Essoldo Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pg/SpiritOfTheEssoldo