World renowned film critic David Thomson, made a rare UK personal appearance at the Depot Cinema, Lewes, on 10 March, sharing his insights in conversation with Depot Young Programmers. Three of these programmers were Varndean students: Edie Dams, Carlos Almonacid and Phoebe Ralph, who are participants in this programme.

Described by John Banville as 'the greatest living writer on the movies', Thomson has written about film for publications such as The Guardian, The Independent, The New York Times and Sight & Sound. He is the author of more than 30 books on film, including The Moment of Psycho: How Alfred Hitchcock Taught America to Love Murder and The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood.

In this rare opportunity, David (now resident in San Francisco) explored with the students the unique experience of watching film using examples from knowledge of Hollywood cinema and answering questions in a Q&A.