As Festival Square welcomes the newly installed Big Screen Edinburgh, outdoor film lovers get up close and personal with Gregory’s Girl. It’s pillows at the ready this month, as Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Cinema sets its stall to showcase one of the country’s best loved films. The outdoor movie will be screened as part of a national programme of events to mark London 2012 Open Weekend. The comedy drama Gregory’s Girl will be shown free at the newly installed outdoor movie screen in Festival Square outside the Sheraton Hotel.

This, the first outdoor cinema Scratch ‘n’ Sniff event in the UK, promises punters the chance to quite literally smell the drama off screen, courtesy of whiff-makers Bompas & Parr. The scents will remain a closely guarded secret until the evening itself but will include a signature perfume for love interest Dorothy, and a total of eight mystery smells to complement key moments, with aromas micro-encapsulated, numbered and printed onto special scratch ‘n’ sniff cards issued to the audience on arrival, subject to availability.

Harry Parr, partner of Bompas & Parr LLP said of the event: ‘Bill Forsyth’s film is perfect for outdoor presentation; it’s dripping in now-generation nostalgia and our sense of smell is shamefully ignored as a means of triggering memories and emotions.’

Bren O’Callaghan, manager of the Big Screen Edinburgh added: ‘This year’s Open Weekend theme is ‘Open Up!’ and this event is one of a selection of benchmark projects intended to set a precedent to show the screen is intended as a creative resource and firmly position it as a means of generating a collective experience in public space.’

Gregory’s Girl is screened at Festival Square, Edinburgh, Sun 26 Jul, 5pm. Limited seating will be provided on a first come, first served basis. See www.london2012.com/get-involved/open-weekend

Source: “Big Screen Edinburgh: Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Cinema” by Anna Millar -The List (Issue 633). Read full article at: http://www.list.co.uk/article/18869-big-screen-edinburgh-scratch-n-sniff-cinema/.