Meet your Old South Neighbour – Victor Liorentas by J. Bruce Parker For me, the name ‘Victor Liorentas’ conjures up the image of an Italian movie star; maybe because it sounds similar to Dino Delaurentis, the famous Italian film director? Victor does have his fame in film, as he is the one behind the camera; not in film production but in film projection. Victor Liorentas is the projectionist at the Hyland Cinema. The 60-year-old has made his life’s career in London’s movie theatres and quite bluntly he declares, “I always wanted to be a projectionist”. Victor recalls as a young boy going to the movies with his mother and brother with a specific fondness for Disney’s The Aristocats which was released in 1970. At home, Victor was busy creating simple Super 8 and 8mm films. He became fascinated with the movie theatres in London and eventually became well known with the projectionists and staff of each one. He was a kid wanting to be part of this end of the film industry. At the age of 10, Victor began working as an usher, marquee changer, lobby poster changer and server at the food concession at various theatres in London. He grew to know and understand the business at an early age. When he was 15, he built a 35mm projector and both his eagerness and pride persuaded him to break into the New Yorker Cinema, a place where he was working at the time, to borrow a couple of reels of film to test the quality of his projector. He was caught by the police as he was walking home. Carrying a couple of reels of professional film along Richmond Street may have been a clue to a potential crime. He was given two years’ probation which could have possibly derailed his career as a projectionist. The New Yorker Cinema recognized his profound passion for film and he was both forgiven and kept employed. Victor did an apprenticeship for a year and received his projectionist licence in 1992. He knew the craft of this industry, including the importance of the electrical components of the machinery as well as film and sound quality. It wasn’t just a job. He was, in his own words, “a passionate projectionist”. Recognized for his talents, Victor eventually became the ‘go to’ guy when other London theatres needed assistance or guidance. During his time at the New Yorker, he would assist in the creation of the film schedule, and in the final year of the cinema, he created the ‘Sunday Night Breakfast Club’. The theatre would show films from the 1980s every Sunday. At the time, Call The Office, a popular bar downtown, offered retro 80s music on Sunday nights. With help from the bar, he tied the events together. Your ticket from the Sunday event at The New Yorker would allow you to skip the outside lineup at Call The Office. The event was quite successful. Victor admits to a ten-year break from film when he was twenty years old. His “second passion” was the double Ferris wheel and he travelled throughout Canada, being a ride technician in the carnival industry. He eventually convinced the company that owned the massive fair ride to bring it to London as a showpiece for the Western Fair. And they did. Much like the physical mechanics of a film projector, Victor knew the properties and operation of this giant steel monster.
He did a stint as a projectionist at the famous Mustang Drive-In Theatre, situated in the southeast part of the city. He also lived in a very tiny apartment for five years, concealed in the narrow building which housed the screen. Last year when the multi Academy award-winning film Oppenheimer opened, he was called to Toronto to provide his expertise as a highly-experienced projectionist for the presentation of the 70mm print. Victor was also the first person in London to view the 1997 multibillion-dollar earning film, Titanic . There were concerns about the quality of the film print when it came to the city, so
The Hyland Cinema projectionist room.
Page 12 Wortley Villager • September 2024
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