Hooray for Hove-ywood

Brighton’s cinema legacy reimagined by young creators in new YouTube film series

Brighton & Hove Museums is delighted to announce the release of a vibrant new series of short films created by young people from across the city, now available on their revamped YouTube channel.

Released today (16 May) to coincide with National Classic Movie Day, these imaginative works were developed through the Young Producers Programme, part of the wider Days of Wonder initiative, running from 2024 to 2026 and designed to engage young people with Brighton & Hove’s remarkable cinematic heritage.

Created in collaboration with videoclub, Corridor and youth charity Esteem as part of Days of Wonder, the project gave 11 students aged 16–24 the opportunity to explore Brighton & Hove’s pioneering role in early cinema.

Working with artists Louise Conway and Rosie Powell and staff from Brighton & Hove Museums, and inspired by archive footage held by Screen Archive South East and the museum, the group delved into collections, vintage film reels, and the stories of cinema’s earliest innovators, before transforming their discoveries into short, social-media-ready videos.

The result is a collection of fun, fast-paced, and informative films , each lasting between 30 seconds – 2 minutes that breathe new life into historic footage and objects. From clever re-edits of century-old films to green-screen mashups and personal scrapbook storytelling, these pieces reveal how history can inspire fresh perspectives, humour, and even DIY creativity.

This work forms part of Brighton & Hove Museums’ ongoing mission to make collections more accessible, relevant, and inclusive, particularly for younger audiences. The project was anchored at the Hove Museum of Creativity, where the Pioneers and Catch a Shadow galleries provided a springboard for creative ideas.

Esteem, a Sussex-based charity working with young people aged 14–26, played a key role in making the project successful. With a focus on building supportive, youth-led spaces to develop confidence, skills and wellbeing, Esteem helped guide participants through the process of research, scriptwriting, filming and editing. The collaboration reflects a shared belief in the power of creativity and culture to empower and connect young people with their local heritage.

Hedley Swain, CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums said: “We are incredibly proud to see young people reinterpreting our collections in such creative and meaningful ways. Days of Wonder is all about opening up the museum and archive experience, and the Young Producers have shown just how powerful that can be when you hand the storytelling over to the next generation. We hope everyone enjoys watching their wonderfully creative outputs.”

Esteem said, “Young people are so often overlooked in heritage spaces, but they have fresh voices and bold ideas that deserve to be heard. This project proves that when we open up museums and archives to collaboration, the results are inspiring—for them and for us.”

The Young Producers’ work has been created with wide audiences in mind, especially those who may never have stepped into a museum or archive before. Their short films invite viewers to discover the city’s early filmmaking pioneers in a new light, while also sparking conversation about how media continues to evolve.

Watch

The full series, called Changed Lens Productions: Brighton & Hove’s Film History Told by Young Creators is now available to watch on Brighton & Hove Museums’ YouTube channel.

The YouTube series includes

• Phantom Rides – A gripping breakdown of early cinema camera work, including the detail of being strapped to a train.
• Phantom Rides Re-edit – Uses new music to transform the emotional tone—an ideal example of how sound changes storytelling.
• A Brief Introduction to… George Albert Smith – A heartfelt scrapbook-style short linking personal creativity with local film history.
• A Kiss in the Tunnel Edit – A humorous look at changing social norms through clever cuts between vintage and modern scenes.
• The Sandwich in Lightspeed – A witty green-screen remix blending archival footage with sci-fi storytelling.
• Behind the Scenes of Brighton & Hove – A perfect short for social media, connecting viewers with local heritage in under a minute.
• Changed Lens Production Overview – A behind-the-scenes film documenting the full creative process of the Young Producers.
• Creating a Magic Lantern Projector – A DIY-inspired look at how historical optical devices were made and used.
• Film History Hidden in Plain Sight – Snappy, informative storytelling revealing surprising film links in everyday objects.
• G.A. Smith & James Williamson Mini-Biographies – Sharp, accessible intros to Brighton’s pioneering filmmakers.
• Kinemacolor – A visually inventive split-screen piece exploring the origins of colour film.
• Shoreham Before and After – A locally grounded piece showing how early film captured real people and places.
• The Magic Behind the Slide – A process video that’s educational, shareable, and genuinely inspiring.