Jason Wood

Today I learned the sad news that Jason Wood, our programmer for the last five and half years, is leaving the company to become the new Director of Programming for the Curzon Group.

Jason, apart from being one of the top film programmers in the UK, is a great film writer, with several books published, including 100 Road Movies, 100 American Independent Films, The Faber Book of Mexican Cinema and Nick Broomfield. He's also regularly featured in The Guardian, Sight and Sound and is a regular moderator for filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Roeg.

He wrote me this very classy message:

As you have hopefully no doubt been informed, I am leaving City Screen this coming Friday for pastures new. The decision to leave was a difficult and traumatic one and I leave with genuine sadness, regret and affection for the company. This sense of affection is equally applicable to the sites that I will no longer be involved with, and for obvious reasons the Duke of York’s is a cornerstone of this affection, both because it is my local, and because of the history and tradition it represents.

I’d like to place on record my thanks to you over the last few years. I think that we always had a very open and honest working relationship and I always valued your input, observations and suggestions. You have been instrumental in the success of the cinema both in terms of the films that it has shown and in terms of expanding the site into something entirely different: an exciting, and commercially viable multi-purpose venue. I am very sorry that I will not be part of the continued plans for expansion, but the Duke of York’s will continue to have my absolute support as a patron.

Please also pass on my gratitude to the rest of the staff and to those customers that on the many occasions I visited often stopped to comment how much they appreciated what we are doing.

The last five years working with Jason have been an education into the workings of the 21st century UK film industry, with huge hits (Volver, The Dark Knight, Fahrenheit 9/11) massive flops (Inside Deep Throat, Cars) and everything in between.

You'll be missed. Good night and good luck.