The Projectionist

By Kirsti Wishart

Seacrest is a seaside town for movie buffs that exists in a perpetual film festival. Seacrest residents grow up with fold-down seats in their living room, dress in Edith Head and walk to the corner-shop with the grace and style of Gable and Dietrich. Dr Jo Ashe, a film academic, moved to join her girlfriend yet finds herself alone, wondering if she’ll ever be accepted by a place she’s loved since childhood. Harry Lawson fights to revive the reputation of his father, a once-revered projectionist who committed suicide, whilst Luke Howard, keeper of the Cameron Fletcher Archive, devotes himself to the memory of the deceased film critic. Now Fletcher is back from the dead, guest of honour of the 85th Seacrest Film Festival. However, this Fletcher is a fake, an actor, Arthur Dott, hired by a powerful cinema boss determined to turn the town into a multiplex. But Arthur follows his own script and in doing so reveals to Harry, Luke and Jo the dangers of a life too much in love with the silver screen…