Secret Cinema: Blade Runner

From 15th to 20th of June, SECRET CINEMA in partnership with Windows Phone staged another spectacular extravaganza in Canary Wharf that catapulted over 800 guests into the futuristic world of Blade Runner!

Ticket holders were greeted by the captain and hostesses of Utopia Skyways the minute they arrived at Reuters Place outside Canary Wharf tube station. Crewmembers were assigned to escort guests on their journey to another colony via terminal bus. Unfortunately, there was a technical problem with the bus on that day and so the visitors were in for quite a walk before they finally arrived not in an off-world colony, but an inter-zone holding station in a secret location nearby Wood Wharf. Upon arrival, the guests were first splashed with futuristic mock-acid rain and then ushered into a replica of surreal China Town (a former warehouse space) as seen in Ridley Scott’s cult SciFi classic.

Re-creating the China Town set and other parts in painstaking detail, guests were entertained by hundred of actors who played various characters from the Blade Runner movie, as well as exotic dancers, food, merchandise and reptile stalls (including live snakes and spiders – eeeek!!). Furthermore, there were live electronic screens, a Future Shorts cinema tent and Chrome Hoof, a 12-piece doom house electro disco-metal phenomenon. DJ Hannah Holland provided further techno sounds.

What made the event so much fun is that a couple of days prior to the spectacle, all ticket holders were asked to arrive dressed either in futuristic neon or cyber punk clothing and to bring goggles to shield their eyes from acid rain. Indeed, guests and actors merged for an evening of interactive action, with a played out chase-sequence through the crowd, before everyone was rounded up by futuristic police force and directed into a re-created Bradbury building. Various audience members were picked out screen from earlier ‘Nexus-6-replicants’ scanning sessions. As the Blade Runner opening credits appeared, the crowd cheered loudly and did the same when near to the film’s finale, an aerial performance took place on the walls of the screening room. After the film screening, guests had the choice of either staying on for a few drinks more in Taffy’s bar or return to the reality of Canary Wharf tube station. Having said that, Canary Wharf with all its futuristic looking architecture was thankfully not too much of a blow to return to.

Past SECRET CINEMA events included re-creations of ‘The Warriors’, ‘Blues Brothers’ and ‘Ghostbusters’ to name but a few. As with all their interactive-screenings, the location will be revealed only a few days before the event. The next one will be in August, so do check on www.secretcinema.org for updates.