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WHAT WE SAY

Launched in 2015 via a Kickstarter campaign, the Castle Cinema has established itself as an important local cultural hub in Clapton and as a key member of Film Hub London’s Cinema Incentive Scheme. Host to festival’s including Doc’n Roll and Fringe! Queer Film and Arts Fest, the cinema is also home to a number of film clubs and curators including Cine Real, Pitchblack Playback and Science Fiction Theatre. They have established Relaxed and Dementia Friendly Screenings as well as a successful 15-24 Membership Scheme as part of the Film Audience Network’s Young Audiences Generation Scheme.

BIO

The Castle Cinema is an independent crowdfunded community cinema in Hackney, with two beautiful screens and a stunning bar.

Originally built in 1912, the Castle Electric Theatre operated until 1958, before various reincarnations as a bingo hall, warehouse and snooker club. In 2016, a crowdfunding campaign was launched to refurbish the upstairs - with its astonishing Art Deco fixtures. It reopened as a working cinema in February 2017.

It aspires to be honest and generous, friendly and informal, and diverse and inclusive. The cinema programme is mostly arthouse with select mainstream titles, to ensure it is offering something for everyone.

It has developed five community goals:

1. Improve access for disabled guests
2. Develop underserved audiences
3. Support and enhance education locally
4. Nurture a diverse team
5. Maintain an inclusive and thought-provoking programme for all