We hate posting these notices, but the reality of DIY community cinema is that it will always be a fragile creature without community support. The fine folk at Screen25 in South Norwood are facing closure. Here’s their announcement in full.

By RADIANT CIRCUS

Twitter @radiantcircus | Instagram @radiantcircus

The future of Screen25 needs you!

We started Screen25 in order to bring film to an area that had been deprived of cinema for 45 years, and we’ve spent the past four years curating and providing the South Norwood community with a carefully thought out programme for all.

With an average of 10 events per month, each screening costs us around £360, covering paying staff at minimum wage, volunteer expenses, film licenses, and basic running costs and overheads. In order to breakeven we need about 45 people to attend each screening, however, the past year has seen an average of only 23.

But it’s not all doom and gloom! We know we can make this work with enough support from the local community, and that’s where you come in.

In order to combat unpredictable audience numbers, our loyalty scheme was introduced a year ago with the intention of providing a steady support system for the cinema, but in that time we’ve achieved a grand total of just 17 (wonderful!) members.

That’s why we’re launching Screen25 Champions, a remodelled membership scheme that gives you ownership over your cinema.

Our Champions will help to keep cinema alive in South Norwood, and with three tiers available, Bronze, Silver and Gold, you can decide how much you’d like to give per month.

We could go into the many benefits of the scheme, like unlimited free tickets and discounts on the bar, but the real reward is the warm feeling you’ll get for knowing that you secured the future of a local community project.

To keep the cinema open, we need to hit 100 Champions by the end of October, otherwise we’ll be permanently shutting our doors at the end of the year.

We’ve loved the journey the past four years have taken us on, and the connections we’ve made, but we realise that circumstances can change and we have two new wonderful cinemas on our doorstep. If you’d like to continue to see a representative programme of community-led film events in South Norwood, then please show your support by becoming a Screen25 Champion.

In one of the most uncertain eras in UK history, this is a chance for you to take ownership of your cinema and shape the future of your community.

Click HERE to find out more about how you can become a Screen25 Champion.

The Screen25 Team

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*THE SMALL PRINT: As accurate as we could make it. Apologies for any errors. Updates & corrections will be made to the online version. Event dates/times are subject to change by the venue/organiser. We try to only list events you can book for at the time of posting: however, some events may still be sold out. Please click quickly! We don’t filter by age/certification: all readers & subscribers should be 18+.