The Film Factory – Bertie & Laura’s films

About

Where cinema history was made – relive the magic on screen with a special screening in St Ann’s Well Gardens.

Step back into the birthplace of British cinema with an unforgettable evening dedicated to the work of pioneering filmmakers George Albert Smith and Laura Bayley Smith. At St Ann’s Well Gardens – the very place where their creative journey began – we’ll bring their extraordinary films back to life on screen.

Guided by film historian Frank Gray, these screenings will showcase the Smiths’ most iconic works, from playful comic sketches to groundbreaking experiments in editing that transformed the very language of cinema. Each film will be introduced with fascinating insights, revealing how this remarkable duo helped shape the future of storytelling on screen.

Film Screening Duration: 90 minutes
Don’t miss this rare chance to experience the magic of early cinema in the setting where it all began.

Exhibition

An exhibition of images from films made in St Ann’s Well Gardens by George Albert (Bertie) Smith and Laura Bayley Smith will be showing at The Garden Cafe between 3rd October and 30 November 2025.

Their films from 1897 began with intriguing and playful one-shot scenes of Sussex and comic sketches. Very quickly, they developed a new kind of filmmaking by combining different shots into a single film. This was the beginning of film editing – the ground-breaking creative leap that would forever change the ways in which stories on screen could be told.

As early film pioneers, Bertie and Laura made remarkable works that captivated audiences around the world and established St Ann’s Well as a centre for new media at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The Film Factory is part of Days of Wonder, a screen heritage programme of events and activities that includes the new exhibition Play Back Forward which is on at Hove Museum of Creativity until 12 April 2026.

The Film Factory is presented by videoclub, Corridor, Screen Archive South East, Brighton & Hove Museums, the Friends of St Ann’s Well Gardens and Frank Gray. Supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Film Hub South East/BFI and Cinecity (the Brighton Film Festival).