1. Home
  2. Pictureville Cinema

Widescreen Weekend

Widescreen Weekend is a unique festival of large-screen formats and cinema technologies celebrating the past, present and future of film. 

Enjoy a long weekend of big, bold and wide cinema experiences as we showcase the museum’s fantastic projection facilities. Glorious 70mm screenings, new Cinerama restorations and great guests will remind you why going to the movies is so magical.

Widescreen Weekend 2020 took place on 9–11 October 2020. The festival will return in 2021 for its special 25th Anniversary edition, with dates to be confirmed. In the meantime, explore Widescreen Weekend Rediscoveries—a strand of monthly screenings celebrating classic and cult films—below.

Widescreen Weekend Rediscoveries

We’re excited to bring you Widescreen Weekend Rediscoveries, monthly one-off screenings to help you to rediscover the magic of the big screen. These selections will continue the festival celebration year-round, showcasing a mix of screen heritage, classic films and cult favourites, all on a range of formats including print, digital and Cinerama.

Special Kids’ Club screenings will also be available each month, focusing on sweeping landscapes, other worlds, and breathtaking visuals—features that really showcase the widescreen aspect ratio, introducing young audiences to widescreen cinema.

Widescreen Weekend Rediscoveries will be listed below, and you can explore our full film programme on the Pictureville Cinema page.

Visitors watching The Sound of Music in Pictureville theatre

A full house for The Sound of Music at Widescreen Weekend 2019

© Andy Garbutt
Delegates at Widescreen Weekend 2017

Delegates at Widescreen Weekend 2017

© Roger Moody
Donald Rosenfeld

Producer Donald Rosenfeld at Widescreen Weekend 2019

© Andy Garbutt
Visitors watching a 360-degree film inside a cinema dome

Immersive encounters in our dome cinema at Widescreen Weekend 2019

© Andy Garbutt
A member of cinema staff preparing projection equipment

A peek inside the Pictureville projection room at Widescreen Weekend 2019

© Andy Garbutt
Samira Ahmed in the museum foyer

Broadcaster and journalist Samira Ahmed at Widescreen Weekend 2018

© Andy Garbutt
Audience members at Theo Gluck's presentation

Audience members at Widescreen Weekend 2018

© Andy Garbutt
Melanie Iredale and Annabel Grundy in Cubby Broccoli Cinema

Melanie Iredale and Annabel Grundy before their introduction to the Widescreen Weekend 2018 screening of Thelma & Louise

© Andy Garbutt
Festival delegates in the museum café

Festival delegates at the Widescreen Weekend 2019 opening night reception

© Andy Garbutt
Visitors try out virtual reality demos at Widescreen Weekend 2016

Visitors try out virtual reality demos at Widescreen Weekend 2016

© Paul Thompson
Girls On Film podcast live

Girls On Film podcast live at Widescreen Weekend 2019

© Andy Garbutt
Sir Christopher Frayling introduces The Agony and the Ecstasy at Widescreen Weekend 2016

Sir Christopher Frayling introduces The Agony and the Ecstasy at Widescreen Weekend 2016

© Paul Thompson
Douglas Trumbull chats to Widescreen Weekend delegates

Douglas Trumbull chats to Widescreen Weekend delegates

© Paul Thompson

Festival archive

Don’t miss...

Part of the Science Museum Group

Science Museum National Science and Media Museum Science and Industry Museum National Railway Museum Locomotion