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Light House Media Centre facts for kids

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Light House Media Centre was a special place in Wolverhampton, UK. It was like a cinema, an art gallery, and a learning center all in one. It was located inside the historic Chubb Building, which used to be a factory.

Light House was a non-profit organization. This means it didn't aim to make money. It received support from groups like the Arts Council England, Wolverhampton City Council, and The National Lottery. It helped people learn about media and film.

History of Light House

Light House officially opened its doors on March 16, 1987. However, it had already started some activities in August 1986. At first, Light House was in the same building as Wolverhampton's Central Art Gallery. It was a project by the Wolverhampton Council and the University of Wolverhampton.

In its early days, Light House offered many things. These included courses on how to make videos. They also showed science fiction films. There was an exhibition celebrating 40 years of India's independence. They even held a conference about Black filmmaking.

Later, Light House moved to a bigger space. This new home was in the Chubb Building. Here, they continued to offer many exciting activities. They ran production courses and new art exhibitions. They showed films and held educational events. Light House also hosted two major festivals each year. These activities helped support creative businesses in the city.

What Light House Offered

Cinema Screens

Light House had two movie screens. They showed a mix of new and older films. You could also watch independent movies and short films. The cinema hosted many film festivals. They also held events to teach people about movies. Sometimes, people could rent the screens for private events.

Two important film festivals happened there every year. One was the Flip Animation Festival, which celebrated animated films. The other was Deaffest. This festival is special because it is led by deaf people. It celebrates the amazing work of deaf filmmakers from all over the world. After Light House closed, Deaffest continued to happen at other places in Wolverhampton.

Art Galleries

Light House had two main art galleries. The main gallery usually showed documentary photography. This means photos that tell a story or show real life. The other gallery, called the balcony gallery, often displayed work from new photographers. There was also a café bar at Light House. This space sometimes became a third gallery. It was used for smaller or special photography shows.

Media Learning Hub

Light House was also a place to learn new skills. They offered courses and workshops. These classes taught people about making videos. You could also learn about animation and other types of multimedia. Multimedia means using different kinds of media, like sound, video, and images.

Film Production Company

From 1988, Light House had its own film production company. This company made different kinds of films. Their work included short films and documentaries. They also created animated films. The company even worked with schools to make movies. For example, they helped Redhill School in Stourbridge make a film called ‘'Shadow Play'’. This film was shown at the London Short Film Festival.

Closure of Light House

The Light House Centre closed very suddenly in November 2022. The main reason for its closure was money problems. It lost a lot of its funding from outside groups. For example, the City Council, which was its biggest supporter, stopped its funding in 2018.

However, there is good news for the future of the building. In December 2024, the City Council announced plans to fix up the venue. It will reopen as a new cinema with four screens. The plan is for it to open in late spring 2025.

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