Plymouth Arts Centre's new cinema venue opening this month

3rd January 2019

The Plymouth Arts Centre Cinema has announced the opening programme in its brand new venue at Plymouth College of Art, which opens to the public on 11 January 2019.

The new programme starts with Stan and Ollie and includes other hot Oscar candidates such as The Favourite, Colette and Suspiria, as well as reissued classics such as Dolly Parton in 9 to 5 and also one of the first female silent comedy stars in The Marvelous Mabel and Normand which also stars Charlie Chaplin. The programme also includes a French Film Festival and a local interest film on how Civil Engineering has shaped Plymouth.

Thanks to backing from Plymouth City Council and the generous support of over 200 backers to a recently run Crowdfunder, Plymouth Arts Centre’s unique cinema is secure and is now relocated to its new home and doubled in size, while allowing it to remain wholly independent.

A new 118-seat auditorium has been built in Plymouth College of Art’s city centre building at Tavistock Place over the Christmas and New Year period.

Chair of Plymouth Arts Centre’s Board of Trustees, Andrew Brewerton, said: “Moving from the Looe Street address is emotional for many people, but the fact is that it is no longer fit for purpose. Audiences are the heart of Plymouth Arts Centre and the thing that drives it forward.

“It will continue to be run by Plymouth Arts Centre’s Cinema programmer Anna Navas and the team from Plymouth Arts Centre, who will take special care to bring the quality and breadth of films, friendly atmosphere and grown-up cinema experience with them.”

The 61-seat cinema in Looe Street enjoyed a record year in 2017, with nearly 18,000 admissions across 135 films. Its live event cinema, film festival, and regular talks by internationally renowned film makers such as director Ben Wheatley, and Oscar winners Roger Deakins and Mia Bays continue to build in popularity.

Plymouth Arts Centre also recently showcased yet another sell-out summer season of Open Air Cinema at iconic waterfront locations, Tinside Lido, Mount Edgcumbe and Royal William Yard and plans to continue to do so in the future.

Mark Cosgrove, Cinema Curator at Watershed in Bristol and BFI FAN Film Hub Lead Organisation for the South West added: "Plymouth Arts Centre has always been an important bastion of independent film culture in Plymouth and the South West providing access for residents and communities to the rich range and diversity of world cinema. At a time when we are seeing growth in audiences and strategic investment for independent film it is exciting to hear of these plans for Plymouth Arts Centre’s development which will secure the future of independent cinema in the city.” 

Tim Bolton, Vice Principal at Plymouth College of Art, said: “Plymouth College of Art shares many fundamental values with Plymouth Arts Centre and we have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship spanning numerous years. We welcome this opportunity to continue to collaborate with them, to enrich the arts and cultural fabric of the South West.

“We’re confident that the new, enhanced space will improve the viewing experience for cinema-goers, and hope that together our shared resources will enable Plymouth Arts Centre to continue their mission to bring independent cinema to the city.”

In recent years, Anna Navas and the cinema team from Plymouth Arts Centre have developed a national reputation as champions of gender equality in the film industry, as an early adopter of The F-Rating and Birds Eye View’s Reclaim the Frame. They have also taken the initiative in introducing younger audiences to independent cinema by introducing a popular £4 ticket price for those aged 25 and under.

But the withdrawal of the Art Council’s NPO funding for the Arts Centre in April 2018 put extreme pressure on all areas of the charity’s organisation. The new plans are the result of months of work by the Board of Trustees and partners to create a sustainable future for the organisation.

The Board has taken the difficult decision to sell the Arts Centre’s Looe Street building. The resources are not in place to continue to deliver both the cinema and the visual arts programme, and given the current circumstances, the Trustees have reluctantly reached an unavoidable decision to halt the visual arts programme for the time being. PAC Home, the centre’s highly regarded network of artists and arts professionals, is developing plans to continue independently.

To find out more about Plymouth Arts Cinema’s new programme and book tickets, click here.