Plymouth Arts Cinema has announced its plans to reopen on Friday 4th June, following months of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The city’s independent cinema will also be offering audiences the opportunity to enjoy new releases and old favourites with its annual Open Air Cinema events returning to Tinside Lido on the weekends of 20-22 August, and 2-4 September. It is also working on additional events at the end of July with a significant cultural partner, details of which will be announced soon.
Director and Film Programmer Anna Navas said, “As we start getting ready to re-open Plymouth Arts Cinema, one of the absolute highlights of the summer is coming together. Open Air Cinema at Tinside Lido has become a firm fixture in Plymouth’s cultural calendar and was one of the things we missed more than anything last year. We are so looking forward to bringing iconic films back to one of Plymouth’s most iconic locations. It feels wonderful to have a summer of cinema to start getting excited about.”
The staff team at PAC have worked to create a safe pathway to reopening, and ensure audience confidence to return to the cinema, by following Government guidelines and advice from the UK Cinema Association. Sellout socially distanced screenings during the brief period of reopening in summer 2020 and latest research show that audiences are keen to return to the cinema.
Booking for films in the cinema will open on 1st June (28th May for members), with films such as Nomadland, The Father, Sound of Metal and Another Round, all top prize winners at the recent Oscars ceremony tipped for inclusion in the programme.
“Please watch our movie on the largest screen possible,” actor Frances McDormand said after “Nomadland” won best picture, “and one day soon take everyone you know into a theater, shoulder-to-shoulder in that dark space, and watch every film that is represented here tonight.”
Plymouth Arts Cinema a much beloved organization, and Plymouth’s only independent cinema, kept audiences entertained during lockdown by working with independent distributors, Iris On The Move Film Festival, and Reclaim The Frame, running a curated programme of new independent releases, online events and Q&As to watch at home, with 50% of rental fees going directly to the cinema.
PAC has safeguarded its future sustainability throughout three lockdowns in the past year with extensive fundraising. It secured £47k support from the DCMS Culture Recovery Fund, £15,000 emergency funding thanks to National Lottery funding through the BFI Audience Network (FAN) COVID-19 Resilience Fund, multiple grants allocated by Plymouth City Council, and a Crowdfunder, also supported by Plymouth City Council, which raised £5,126.
Open Air Cinema is a popular sponsorship opportunity for local business. Details of sponsorship packages will be released soon, but any interested parties should contact info@plymouthartscinema.org.
