The Showroom Cinema is an independent

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking * ...

, café bar and creative workspace contributing to the culture in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and ...

, England. In 2002, the cinema was voted the favourite independent cinema of ''

Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...

'' readers. In November 2007, Showroom was awarded the title Best Cultural Venue in Sheffield's Exposed' Magazine Awards.

Building

The Showroom Cinema is housed in a 1936

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

building which was formerly the Kennings

car dealership A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive maintena ...

.Ruth Harman and John Minnis, ''Sheffield'' (

Pevsner Architectural Guides The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of Great Britain and Ireland. Begun in the 1940s by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the original Buildings of England series were published b ...

) It was first opened in 1993 with two screens; further phases of development have added another two screens, a bar and

cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-c ...

and a

meeting room A conference hall, conference room, or meeting room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. Room It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even ...

, making it one of the attractions of Sheffield's

Cultural Industries Quarter The Cultural Industries Quarter is a district in the city centre of Sheffield, England, and one of the eleven Quarters designated in the 1994 City Centre Strategy. It is roughly triangular in shape, and is bound by Howard Street, Sheaf Square ...

, in the south-east of the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

. Much of the remainder of the building is the Workstation, offices intended for use by business working in the cultural industries. The conversion programme was completed in 1998 and saw an entrance to the cinema created from

Sheaf Square Sheaf Square is a municipal square lying immediately east of the city centre of Sheffield, England. The sides of the square are lined with major buildings: Sheffield railway station, the Showroom Cinema, Sheffield Science Park, the early ninet ...

; the Workstation retains the original entrance on Paternoster Row. The building was used in the video for the

Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jamie Cook (guitar, keyboards), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, back ...

song "

Leave Before the Lights Come On "Leave Before the Lights Come On" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. The song was released on 14 August 2006 as the band's third single in the United Kingdom. The song was not included on the band's debut album ''Whatever Peopl ...

" in 2006. In 2015 plans for a thorough refurbishment of the Showroom were announced, but the cinema must raise £250,000 to undertake the work. The venue's four screens are to be refurbished, including new seats and carpeting throughout, as well as updated foyers and toilets.

Events

The Showroom is a venue for a programme called the BFI Film Academy which sharpens the creative skills of youths between 16 and 19 years of age. It gives the opportunity to qualify for a Silver Arts Award.

Festivals and events

Lovebytes (1995) Lovebytes Digital Art and Multimedia Festival. (1996) Lovebytes Festival. (1998) Sheffield Showcomotion Young People's Film Festival (1999–present) Lovebytes International Festival of Digital Art. (2001) Lovebytes International Festival of Digital Art. (2002) Lovebytes International Festival of Digital Art. (2003) Lovebytes International Festival of Digital Art. (2005) Environments International Festival of Digital Art and Media, Lovebytes. (2006) Digital Space at the Showroom Cinema (2006) Digital Space at the Showroom Cinema (2007) Digital Space at the Showroom Cinema (2008) Lovebytes. Digital Art in Sheffield. (2008) Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival (2009) Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival (2010) Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival (2011) Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival (2012) Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival (2013) Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival (2014) Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival (2015) Lovebytes- Digital Spring. (2012) Off the shelf: festival of words (2013) Sensoria festival of music & film (2013) Sheffield doc/fest (2013)

References

External links

Official site
{{coord, 53, 22, 39, N, 1, 27, 54.1, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1936 Culture in Sheffield Buildings and structures in Sheffield Cinemas in Yorkshire Sheffield City Centre Art Deco architecture in England