Ümit Mesut is the owner of celluloid film shop Ümit & Son. He has owned the shop in Clapton for over thirty five years and is one of Europe’s biggest collectors of Super 8, 8mm, 9mm, 16mm, 35mm.
“This all started because of my grandad. He ran a cinema in Cyprus. I was a little boy, eight years old, I used to sneak into the projection room with him when he’d taken me to work. I became fascinated with all the lights, the machinery and with my pocket money bought an 8mm projector and haven’t looked back.
I’ve got around 2,500 titles in my collection. We do film nights with Cine – Real in 16mm format at the Castle Cinema. I have loads of favourite films. The original King Kong from 1932. It was probably the first proper film I ever saw and will always stay with me.
Having a shop like this, it’s about love, not money. Most of my actual customers are people in the industry, people from the BBC or Pinewood.”
Ümit & Son, 35 Lower Clapton Road, Hackney, E5 0NS.
