PENARTH Pier Pavilion will screen a Scratch 'n Sniff screening of Roald Dahl's Matilda on August 26, 28 and 30.

Matilda fans can head to the pavilion to this summer to uncover secret smells, from fresh chocolate cake to fish paste sandwiches, in an interactive cinema experience to celebrate Roald Dahl 100.

Along with Penarth Pier Pavilion, a number of venues will also screen the film including Chapter.

For the very first time, the 1991 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic book Matilda, is being brought to audiences on the big screen, with an extra special, scented twist.

Working with Scratch ‘n Sniff Cinema presents, 43 screenings will run UK wide during August and September, launching at Chapter, Cardiff. These special events are part of the Roald Dahl on Film season, developed by Film Hub Wales and Chapter in association with the Roald Dahl Literary Estate, to celebrate Roald Dahl 100 – the centenary year of Roald Dahl’s birth.

The project is supported by the BFI (British Film Institute), awarding funds from the National Lottery.

Fans of the family favourite can almost taste Bruce Bogtrotter’s giant chocolate cake and wrinkle their noses at the smell of fish paste sandwiches, as they join in the experience. The rest of the scents are being kept under wraps until the screening.

Based on the cinema and TV technology introduced in the late 70s and early 80s, audiences will be given a special scratch card containing 10 weird and wonderful odours that link to key scenes within the film. When prompted, viewers are invited to scratch and sniff the gel odour.

Sources of the smells are named on the card, but not the actual scent, meaning viewers will have to guess and compare notes with their friends.

More than 40 Scratch ‘n Sniff screenings of Matilda have already been confirmed across the UK and will coincide with the 20th anniversary of the film.

These fun and far-from-ordinary showings of Matilda are the brainchild of Scratch ‘n Sniff Cinema, set-up by producer and artist Bren O’Callaghan and illustrator Simon Misra. The pair have previously launched scent accompaniments to six films, including The Wicker Man, The Goonies and Gregory’s Girl, but taking part in Roald Dahl on Film will be their first nation-wide project.

Bren O’Callaghan said: “Smell is often ignored as a stimulus for playful response, but it’s a powerful emotional trigger. It can remind us of a person, a place, or transport us to a sun-soaked day long since passed.

“Our techniques are deliberately silly and old-fashioned, using placards, a torch and scent-soaked scratch cards. You’re even encouraged to chat to the person next to you, as different noses make different conclusions.

“We think Roald Dahl would approve of our playing and acting daft in a space where we’re supposed to behave, sit still and be quiet. If anyone encouraged children to unleash their imagination, he did.”

To find out what Roald Dahl on Film events are on in your area and how to buy tickets, visit filmhubwales.org/roalddahlonfilm/whatson/scratch-n-sniff