"Secret Tribes, now is the time to unite. Join the uprising from across the land and show your colours. Tell no-one." Stranger travelled far afield this weekend to experience Secret Cinema. And what an experience...

The red gold sun is hanging low, casting long shadows across the dusty grassland stretching far into the distance. Gathered in their thousands the bright coloured flags of four tribes crackle and flap in the early evening breeze as masked leaders gallop past, rousing the masses to surge forward and fight back.

After a steep climb the scents, spirits and excitement of a bustling souk greet the hungry and thirsty travellers who have trekked from four corners to meet and join forces for one night only. Traders barter their wares, laden camels and donkeys stride past, drunken first world war officers jostle and laugh, pots boil with tagines and bellydancers perform to high pitched melodies, curling snakes round their wrists as the crowd cheers, toasts, eats and celebrates.

From the sound of things you’d think I spent last Sunday evening in some historic medina on the edge of the Sahara, but you’d be wrong. In fact I was in the exotic climes of N22, Alexandra Palace, trying out Secret Cinema – the ultimate film experience.

A rapidly growing bi-monthly event, Secret Cinema invites people to attend an undisclosed screening at an undisclosed location, gradually dropping clues as the event draws nearer. Through fancy dress guidelines, mysterious instructions and cryptic directions attendees build up a picture of what film they might be watching, but the full truth isn’t revealed until they are seated in front of the screen ready to begin.

Though it isn’t really about the film itself. For Secret Cinema it’s all about making an experience out of movie watching; about bringing a film to life. As part of our Secret Cinema experience (you might have guessed it was Lawrence of Arabia) we were instructed to wear the Bedouin garments of our desert tribe; being from Cornwall we were Harith – the tribe of the south.

On arrival at Wood Green tube, we joined a procession of similarly attired individuals, and walked through a park strewn with tribal ribbons until we reached the Palace itself. Here we had the delights of a middle eastern market to sample, traders to haggle with, camels to marvel at and extracts from Lawrence’s adventures acted out around us – from his pleas for water and trudge past us on his way to Cairo, to his final march through the crowd on a camel surrounded by first world war officers before the film began.

Having signed up to the Camel Corp in the Officer’s mess, tucked into a Persian chicken tagine and gulped down gallons of mint tea, we settled down with cushions and blankets among nearly three thousand other film watchers and swayed as the epic score boomed out through Alexandra Palace’s main hall.

The film was provactive, moving, controversial and powerful. Despite having seen it hundreds of times before I was gripped from the opening titles to the closing moments. Because I felt like I was there. Mission accomplished Secret Cinema, mission accomplished.

www.secretcinema.org