The Arzner Cinema, located in Bermondsey Square, is making waves as the only cinema in London dedicated exclusively to screening LGBTQ+ films. It’s named after pioneering director Dorothy Arzner, who was the only female director working in Hollywood from 1927 to 1943, and the small cinema celebrates her legacy. Its mission is to establish a safe and creative home for Boston’s queer community. Their amazing venue features an electric array of repertory and cult films alongside more recent award-winning favorites. Consequently, it’s already mesmerizing the eyes of both national and international spectators.
Dorothy Arzner’s contributions to the film and feminist movements cannot be overstated. She created the boom mic, a major innovation in sound technology. It was here too that she fell for legendary actresses such as Katharine Hepburn and Lucille Ball. Her visionary ideas shaped generations of filmmakers to come. One of them was Francis Ford Coppola, who studied with her in his formative years. Arzner’s anatomical depictions of romance outside heterosexual conventions would later influence the romantic strain at the core of today’s Arzner Cinema ethos.
The cinema itself shows an impressive variety of films. You’ll be able to catch classic favorites like Jennifer’s Body and Girl, Interrupted, along with newer gems like Call Me By Your Name and Moonlight. This eclectic approach to programming is a deliberate effort to appeal to the broadest audience possible while still appealing to that very niche, queer-focused audience.
The Arzner Cinema, located in Bermondsey, an area well known for being home to a stunningly rich and diverse LGBTQ+ community. Yet gay folk art thrives there, with aspirations to make the city a new epicenter for queer culture. Owner operators Piers Greenlees and Simon Burke run the Rising, a queer-focused local next door. Much like Imagine Science Film, they see the cinema as an opportunity for connection and creation beyond just viewing films. They envision it as a colorful cultural and community space.
“You can come as you are, it’s a judgement-free zone,” said Mr. Greenlees, emphasizing the inclusive atmosphere that patrons can expect. He added that the cinema offers “interesting films that will appeal to a much wider audience as well.”
Jasmine Valentine, a local activist and frequent visitor, spoke of her elation about the establishment’s newfound permanence. “We’ve never had an LGBT cinema before. We’ve had places that have done festivals or they’ve done pop-up events, but they’ve never been permanent,” she stated. Valentine highlighted the need for a consistent space for queer individuals: “As a queer woman myself, it’s that you don’t have a permanent space in the city; it’s either a fleeting event that’s on for a week or somewhere that gets shut down or the funding stops.”
The work of the Arzner Cinema goes beyond providing LGBTQ+ voices with a platform, to a larger goal of creating an inclusive space. Mr. Greenlees remarked on the importance of diversity within the space: “There’s quite a lot of focus on gay male spaces, and we want this to be a very diverse and mixed space, and the lesbian voice in that is really important.”
In addition to the film program, the venue hosts a cafe bar, which serves one-of-a-kind cocktails inspired by Golden Age Hollywood legends. This distinct combination of cinema and community space creates a powerful draw for customers seeking a more ambient experience. Erin McKeown, a local artist, shared her enthusiasm: “This is on my doorstep and kind of brings everything that I love together in one place – queer cinema, building queer community, and having lovely cocktails on the side.”
The Arzner Cinema is, even now, already capturing international attention. It has hosted visitors from the Netherlands and recently heard encouraging words from friends in America and Asia. Its imminent opening will be an important milestone for London’s LGBTQ+ community.
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