University hosts world premiere of Gemma Arterton’s new film
The University of Southampton hosted the world premiere of The Disappearance of Alice Creed, starring British actress and Bond star Gemma Arterton (St Trinian’s, Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans).
As the leading lady, Gemma Arterton wowed the crowds and the regional and national media at the red carpet premiere, which took place last night.
Union Films, the award-winning film society of Southampton University Students' Union, won the opportunity to host screening after a popular vote by UK cinema-goers.
Fans logged onto Facebook and installed an application that allowed them to vote for their favourite cinema. Union Films triumphed after a tightly fought campaign that saw Southampton Union Cinema vying for votes with eager cinemagoers in Bury. Users were rewarded for encouraging friends to take part and vote. Union Films mobilised students by offering the most active application users Season Passes to the cinema, and enticing them with the possibility of seeing rising star, Gemma Arterton, on campus.
Jacob Deane of Union Films says of their win: “We were extremely excited that the world premiere of The Disappearance came to our cinema. It was an amazing opportunity for us, especially as we are a film society run entirely by volunteers. The Union Films team put on a great campaign, including our website, posters, emails and taking over a sizeable chunk of the Student's Union homepage. It is a testament to the enthusiasm and support of our members and the Southampton University Student's Union that we were able to gain enough momentum to take the top spot.”
Southampton took 43% of the vote whilst runner-up Bury registered 22%. There were over 7,000 active users across the duration of the campaign in 181 different cinemas across the UK, indicating that the demand to take premieres outside of London is high across the country.