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| The Best of London's Art-House Cinemas. The Best of London's Art-House Cinemas |
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The Best of London's Art-House Cinemas
There are plenty of cinemas in London showing the latest blockbusters at an increasingly expensive cost. But it's becoming more difficult for the film lover to find theatres that show independent pictures, cult classics and foreign films. We give you a guide to some of the city's most reputable art-houses in culturally diverse locations.
The Gate Cinema
One of the world's most famous independent cinemas in trendy Notting Hill Gate, The Gate has a reputation for showing left-field and avant-garde features, while the building itself has a long and colourful history. In the late nineteenth-century, it housed a brothel frequented by high society members, a fact to which the auditorium's beautiful panelled walls, heavily coffered ceilings and sumptuous Edwardian plaster-work stand as testimony. Highlights include the monthly 'Firecracker' events, during which the cinema stays open all night to show off-beat and controversial screenings.
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios in Crisp Road, Hammersmith, is a theatre and cinema with an alternative and creative atmosphere. Throughout the summer months, the film theatre shows double bills on a daily basis of small art-house British pictures, foreign films, cult classics and movies by lesser-known but upcoming young directors. With a great bar serving burgers, nachos and giant, wholesome salads at inexpensive prices, this is a fantastic arena for all art, food and wine-lovers. Be sure to sit in the outside terrace area, where you can enjoy a pre-film drink and a snack overlooking the river Thames.
The Barbican Arts and Conference Centre
It is cheaper to see a film at the barbican than anywhere else in west London, and the small, cosy auditorium showcases old classics as well as new releases. The venue also hosts free music and poetry events, as well as screen discussions in the main foyer, and during the afternoons, shows family-orientated fims, such as Kung Fu Panda and Toy Story. The centre also includes three eateries offering tasty food at moderate cost: Searly's Restaurant, Balcony Bistro and the Water-side café.
The Tricycle Theatre
This cinema in the Kilburn high road with a large, 300-seat auditorium has an almost grubby look, but it's an untidiness that gives the place its charm. A successful and accessible cinema with adjoining theatre, art-gallery and rehearsal studios, it regularly offers a wealth of culturally and historically diverse films and documentaries, and is notable for its challenging, educational and politically edgy artistic agenda.
Clapham Picture House
If a little more mainstream than its Brixton and Greenwich counter-parts, this quaint and intimate theatre on Venn Street still shows some quality foreign and more left-field pictures alongside the big blockbusters. Darkly lit and with artsy dcor, roomy seats and a quirky bar selling nuts and wine downstairs, this cinema has a local, laid-back feel to it and can be both a stimulating and relaxing place to spend an evening.
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