Broadway Cinema is an
independent cinema
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independen ...
in the city of
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
It is located in the
Hockley
Hockley is a large village and civil parish in Essex in the East of England located between Chelmsford and Southend-on-Sea, or, more specifically, between Rayleigh and Rochford. It came to prominence during the coming of the railway in the 189 ...
area. In 2009, it was rated as one of the best cinemas in the world by
Total Film
''Total Film'' is a British film magazine published 13 times a year (published monthly and a summer issue is added every year since issue 91, 2004, which is published between July and August issue) by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched i ...
magazine.
History
The site now occupied by the cinema began its life as the
Broad Street Wesleyan Church
Broad Street Wesleyan Chapel was a former Methodist chapel in Nottingham from 1839 to 1954. The building is now occupied by the Broadway Cinema.
History
The church was built in 1839 by the architect S. S. Rawlinson. It had sittings for 1,920 ...
, which was built in 1839 by the architect S. S. Rawlinson. This church is reputedly where the founder of the
Salvation Army
Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
,
William Booth
William Booth (10 April 182920 August 1912) was an English Methodist preacher who, along with his wife, Catherine, founded the Salvation Army and became its first "General" (1878–1912). His 1890 book In Darkest England and The Way Out outli ...
, was converted.
Since the 1960s, the site has housed the Co-operative Education Centre, the Nottingham Film Society, City Lights Cinema and, since 1982, the Broadway Cinema.
In 1993, the cinema was the venue for the UK premiere of
Quentin Tarantino's ''
Pulp Fiction
''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...
'', showing it immediately after its screening at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
. For many years, film director
Shane Meadows
Shane Meadows (born 26 December 1972) is an English director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in independent film, most notably the cult film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its three sequels (2010–2015).
Meadows' other films inc ...
worked out of the venue; he still uses it as a base for press interviews. Likewise, the filmmaker
Jeanie Finlay
Jeanie Finlay is a British artist and filmmaker from Stockton-on-Tees.
Early life
Finlay was born to an English mother and a Scottish father, who worked in life insurance. Her mother encouraged her artistic, creative side. Finlay was prescribe ...
has edited most of her films on the premises, including her
Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
documentary ''The Last Watch''.
In 2006, Broadway Cinema underwent a major redevelopment with funding from the
National Lottery and
Arts Council England
Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...
. Works were completed in October 2006 and cost around £6 million.
The cinema now boasts four screens, including the world's first (and only) cinema designed by
Sir Paul Smith.
It also houses two bars.
Laraine Porter (the co-founder and director of th
British Silent Film Festival was director of the Broadway Media Centre from January 1998 until May 2008.
Consequently, between 1999 and 2008, Broadway Cinema hosted a series of festivals for silent film in conjunction with the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
.
References
External links
Broadway Cinema*
Buildings and structures in Nottingham
Repertory cinemas
Cinemas in Nottinghamshire
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