Latest news with #independentcinema
CNA
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Indie cinema The Projector will resume screenings at Golden Mile Tower in August
Movie lovers can once again catch screenings at The Projector at Golden Mile Tower this August. On Wednesday (Jul 23), the independent cinema announced that "with the Golden Mile en bloc process now officially concluded without a transaction", it will "return to the place it all began". Founded in 2014, The Projector stopped daily screenings at Golden Mile Tower in May, turning its focus to "special and curated events", including interactive film experiences, live music showcases and corporate venue hires. It started operating from Cineleisure in December 2023 in partnership with Golden Village, replacing Cathay Cineplex. In a statement, founder Karen Tan said: 'As we reactivate Golden Mile Tower, our audiences can expect the same irreverent spirit and eclectic, culturally-driven programming they know and love, now with a refreshed energy and a deeper sense of community.' When asked about operations at its Cineleisure outlet, The Projector was unable to provide a comment. CNA Lifestyle has reached out to Golden Village for further details.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
New Wolverhampton Lockworks Cinema to open next week
The date for the opening of a new independent cinema in Wolverhampton city centre has been Cinema is taking over the space formerly occupied by The Light House, an independent cinema and arts venue which closed in 2022 after 35 much anticipated four-screen cinema will open to the public on Friday 11 July, after the 8,000 sq ft council-owned space was converted by independent commercial operator of Wolverhampton Council said PDJ had recruited locally for the three permanent and 20 part-time jobs created. PDJ and the council made a joint £2m investment in the refurbishment programme of the cinema and have entered into a 30-year council claims the venue is predicted to attract up to 130,000 visitors a year to the city centre at full flow and boost the local economy by £500,000 annually. James Jervis, director at PDJ Management, said: "We're incredibly excited to welcome film lovers back to Wolverhampton city centre from next week. "We're confident audiences will love what we've done with the cinema, and we're committed to delivering the very best experience for our customers." City of Wolverhampton Council leader Stephen Simkins said: "PDJ have delivered an exciting, affordable luxury offer in our city centre that will bring joy to thousands and thousands of movie-goers, young and old."It is all part of a transformation creating new destinations, better public spaces and inner-city living opportunities, coupled to a broader entertainment and events programme, to attract more visitors - helping both existing and new businesses to thrive and grow." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
CBS News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Pennsylvania movie theater offers free tickets for classic films during holiday weekend
The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville is inviting movie lovers to enjoy classic films on the big screen at no cost this weekend, thanks to a national campaign supporting independent cinemas. The landmark venue, which opened in 1902, is one of five theatres nationwide participating in Pluto TV's Free Movie Weekend on Saturday and Sunday. "So if you want to come out and see 'Hook,' 'Labyrinth,' 'Jumanji,' or 'The Phoenician Scheme,' you get a free ticket courtesy of Pluto TV," Bob Trate, director of programming at the Colonial Theatre, said. The goal of the event is to bring people back to independent and family-run theaters that are still recovering from the pandemic. "What I find really refreshing and fascinating is that a streaming service like Pluto TV is actually pushing people to get away from the TV and go back to the theater to fall in love with movies," Trate said. Attendees will also receive free bags of popcorn — one to eat during the film and one to take home — and fireworks glasses. "What I love about coming to the movies is you're detached from the rest of the world," Trate said. "You have to give yourself over to the movie for 90 minutes to two hours, and you can actually be a part of the story." The free movie weekend also serves as a lead-up to Blobfest, the theater's signature festival that celebrates the 1958 sci-fi classic "The Blob," which was filmed at the Colonial. As part of the festivities, fans will reenact the famous scene where terrified moviegoers run out of the theatre. "This year we've expanded our kids' programming to introduce a new kids' zone, which was sponsored by PECO," Jennifer Carlson, executive director of the Colonial Theatre, said. PECO is also sponsoring screenings of "La Masa Devoradora," the Spanish version of "The Blob." Those interested in attending Pluto TV's Free Movie Weekend can reserve their tickets on the theater's website here or pick them up at the box office.
The Sun
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Iconic ‘secret' UK cinema famed for showing cult movies & loved by Hollywood stars ‘fighting for survival'
TUCKED away down an unassuming side street in London's famous West End is a "secret" cinema beloved by Hollywood art brats. The Prince Charles Cinema opened 60 years ago as a regular theatre and then briefly a "film house of ill repute" where it showed soft porn. 8 8 8 As time went on, the cinema - just around the corner from bustling Chinatown and towering ODEON multiplex - became famous for showing cult and hard-to-find movies. In the 1980s it specialised in controversial horror flicks like The Evil Dead and even hosted the world premier of Hellraiser in 1987. In 1991 it largely became a repertory cinema, specialising largely in older classics and second-runs of films a few years after general release. It also regularly hosts sing-a-long versions of The Sound of Music and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The Prince Charles has just two auditoriums, with capacity for around 400 people, and prides itself on being a time capsule of movie theatres from the past - before the multiplex invasion. Hollywood A-list praise Directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson and John Waters have praised the venue - with Quentin Tarantino, a major champion of edgy B-movies and grind house, calling it 'everything an independent movie theatre should be". However, with the lease up in less than three months, its billionaire landlord Asif Aziz - dubbed "Mr West End" - has reportedly demanded double the rent, throwing its future into doubt. Cinema managing director Ben Freedman told The Sun talks about the venue's future appeared to breakdown earlier this year. He said: "We don't want to fight, to run a campaign. We want to run a cinema." And for Mr Freedman and his staff they have unwittingly become the face of a fight for the soul of the West End itself. The 64-year-old told The Sun that the area - fame as a glitzy arts hub - has been "hollowed out" as creatives are forced to go elsewhere in the city due to developers. Hotel tycoon Mr Aziz is one of the biggest landowners in Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, as well as being a philanthropist - his foundation funds community work, arts, culture and research. But he's not popular at Prince Charles Cinema. The bosses at the Leicester Square venue allege the rent increase is an attempt to get them out once their lease ends in September 2025, in order to shut the cinema and redevelop the property as a hotel. And it seems that all of London - and all of Hollywood - has rallied to its defence. Heartthrob Paul Mescal - who recently starred in blockbuster Gladiator 2 - called the potential closure "incredibly disheartening" and told GQ: "It's imperative that this cultural institution does not close its doors." Christopher Nolan - the genius director behind Inception and Interstellar - proclaimed: " Film culture in Great Britain is unthinkable without the Prince Charles." Westminster Council recently made the cinema an asset of community value, calling it a "cultural landmark that brings so much life, character, and cinematic adventure to the West End". 8 8 Mr Freedman told us: "It goes back a couple of years when we first started talking about renewing our lease. In the first couple of meetings it was relatively friendly. "Early last year it got to a point where they were trying to raise our rent. We had reports from surveyors and reports on the market rates and said what we thought the rent should be. "But they wanted double. That was the beginning of this. "Then there were talks about redeveloping the building. We put out the petition and got this incredible wave of support from our audiences. "We saw this coming and put money aside a few years ago for this fight. "But this isn't what we want to be doing. We don't want to fight, to run a campaign. We want to run a cinema." He added: " Hotels are nice, but in the West End? What if it all turned into hotels? "I've worked in Soho for 40 years. It's a community. It's an area that is unique - there isn't anywhere like it in the world. Not LA, not New York, nowhere. "It is a place for creatives, for cinema, for the film industry - but everyone is moving out to different places across the city now. It's been hollowed out. "The things that people used to come to the West End for are no longer here." Hell of a fight He said that central London seems to just be for tourists now. But instead of giving into the weight of the ultra-wealthy landlord, the small cinema is determined to put up a hell of a fight. And the film lovers of London have come out in full force to support it. Mr Freedman said: "We have been very very busy recently. From people who haven't come here in a while to people who have never been. "It is not a sense of sadness here, but more of standing up for ourselves. We want to stay in the West End. We want to continue to bring films to our audiences." We have bent over backwards to try to negotiate with him. He doesn't seem to want to talk to us, he ignores us, then goes and makes out that he's the aggrieved one. It's frustrating. Ben NeedhamPrince Charles Cinema MD Referring to Mr Aziz, he added: "The spirit of our relationship…I have not enjoyed it. "We have bent over backwards to try to negotiate with him. He doesn't seem to want to talk to us, he ignores us, then goes and makes out that he's the aggrieved one. It's frustrating. "It's a consistent pattern here, we are not alone. And that is unfortunate. "The support we have had has been wonderful. Our ticket-buying public have put their money where their mouth is." Just 20 minutes down the road, the world's first YMCA club is fighting the same battle - against the same mega-rich businessman. In February, members of Central YMCA exchanged heartbroken hugs as it closed its doors for the last time. The huge 116,000 sq ft building on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, near the British Museum, was sold to Aziz's company Criterion Capital in December. The YMCA club had 3,600 members and saw 10,000 people use it regularly and they fought to keep it open, even submitting a failed High Court injunction application. Criterion has a luxury Zedwell hotel next door and the club members fear their community hub will be incorporated into the building. David Bieda, who is in his 60s, used the YMCA three times a week. He told The Sun what is happening with the YMCA and the Prince Charles is just the start of a wider problem in the city. "What if this happened to every single community space in England?" he said. "There need to be protections. It's happening all over the place. "If the whole thing was demolished and turned into hotels then it would be far more profitable. But what happens to the community? "It will have a big impact on those who use it. For the YMCA, people in their sixties like me go there a lot - it has arts, sports, pottery…all in one building. That is very unusual. I go to three classes a week there. "We've all written to Asif Aziz. We've had no response. He's been trying to get this space for ages. It's happening all over the place." The Sun has approached Mr Aziz for comment. 8 8
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Locarno Film Festival: Lebanon's Abbout Productions to Receive Producing Award
The independent Beirut-based production house Abbout Productions, led by Georges Schoucair and Myriam Sassine, will receive the Raimondo Rezzonico Award at the 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival. The production firm will also present two of its movies at Locarno, namely Costa Brava, Lebanon by Mounia Akl, and Memory Box by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige. More from The Hollywood Reporter How Clear Angle Studios Is Harnessing the Power of Hollywood's Most Sought-After VFX Tech Israeli Missile Strike Hits Iranian State Broadcaster on Live TV Japan's Yuya Danzuka Mines Family Drama and Urban Design for Breakout Directorial Debut 'Brand New Landscape' 'In recent years, Georges Schoucair, who took over as CEO of Abbout Productions in 2004, and Myriam Sassine, who joined as lead producer in 2010, have shepherded an array of acclaimed Arab and Lebanese feature films into existence and onto the international distribution marketplace,' Locarno organizers said. 'A vital production and distribution hub for the region, Abbout Productions has sustained a network of Lebanese and Arab artists and filmmakers who, despite difficult and often catastrophic circumstances, fight to create independent cinema in the region.' The company's movies have also included works by such local filmmakers as Ahmad Ghossein, Mohamed Malas, Ghassan Salhab, Oualid Mouannes, Cyril Aris, Ely Dagher, Rana Eid and Myriam El Hajj. Schoucair and Sassine have also been standard-bearers for independent cinema beyond the work of Abbout. 'Schoucair played a pivotal role in opening (and then reopening) Beirut's Metropolis Cinema, a key industry and programming hub for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region,' Locarno highlighted. 'Sassine, in turn, co-founded Maskoon Fantastic Film Festival, the only genre film festival in the Arab region, and is actively engaged in film training initiatives and industry events. Since 2021, she has managed Aflamuna Connection, a Lebanese co-production platform for Arab filmmakers.' Concluded the fest: 'Additionally, Georges Schoucair provided support to none other than Jean-Luc Godard for Le Livre d'image (2018) and in collaboration with Myriam Sassine co-produced award-winning international films through the company Schortcut Films, supporting filmmakers such as Alain Gomis, Kaouther Ben Hania, Lucrecia Martel, Elia Suleiman and others.' Abbout Productions will be honored at Locarno on Thursday, Aug. 7. The following day, Schoucair and Sassine will take part in a public conversation at the fest, moderated by Swiss journalist and author Philippe Mottaz and organized in collaboration with ICT4Peace, a policy and action-oriented international foundation whose purpose is 'to save lives and protect human dignity through information and communication technology.' The collaboration is part of the fest's efforts to take part in global conversations and engage with social issues. 'The films Abbout have produced are a sign of a society that is vital, alive and continues to look to the future with dogged confidence,' said Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro. 'Through their films, Georges and Myriam have been able to tell the story of a country able to come to terms with its history while simultaneously imagining a layered and multifaceted Lebanese identity. They have also launched a great many new talents in front of and behind the camera, helping to give Lebanon a new face, allowing it to meet its potential, and offering a complex portrait of the country that goes far beyond the trivializations of the violence of war. They have worked tirelessly in the pursuit of a fertile and generous dialogue.' The Raimondo Rezzonico Award was created in 2002 in memory of the man who was president of the Locarno festival from 1981 to 1999. The 2025 Locarno festival takes place Aug. 6–16. Jackie Chan will receive a lifetime honor at the fest, Lucy Liu will receive a career honor, and Emma Thompson will be honored with the Leopard Club Award. U.S. filmmaker Alexander Payne will receive Locarno's Honorary Leopard. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
