Royal Papworth Hospital Documentary to get Cinema Premiere

Our new film documenting Royal Papworth Hospital’s final year at its village site – as staff and patients prepare for the momentous move to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus – will be screened at a Cambridge cinema in the summer.

Papworth: A Moving Story blends archive footage with contemporary staff, patient and supporter interviews, tracing the hospital’s evolution from a First World War tuberculosis colony to a leading cardiothoracic centre which performed the UK’s first successful heart transplant operation in 1979, and the world’s first heart, lung and liver transplant in 1986.

The screening, part of the heart and lung hospital’s centenary celebrations, will take place at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse on Thursday 5 July – the same day the country will be celebrating the NHS’ 70th birthday.

Filmed on location in Papworth and the site of the new hospital ahead of its opening, the documentary offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how a major NHS hospital is run and prepares for such a historic move. In addition, the film preserves the memories of those who have worked at the hospital and those who have been treated there; a strong sense of belonging and family is at the heart of the ethos of Royal Papworth Hospital and this film is a testament to that.

Archive film and stills have been sourced from a number of institutions including the East Anglian Film Archive, the British Film Institute and Royal Papworth Hospital’s own archive which includes footage which has never before been publically seen.

Please watch the documentary trailer and to find out more about the Royal Papworth’s history please visit:

https://royalpapworth.nhs.uk/our-hospital/about-us/our-history