Chiswick Cinema celebrates its fifth birthday

A choice of four films and a glass of fizz

Chiswick Cinema is celebrating its fifth birthday on 14 July.

The Olivier award winning actor Simon Callow (A Room with a View, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Howards End) will be giving a Q&A before a screening of They Never Slept, a WWII drama about the French Resistance starring Edward Fox, which is also part of a special season the cinema is showing celebrating the career of playwright, screenwriter, and novelist Simon Gray.

UPDATE  Friday 3 July Simon Callow will not now be coming, as he is working in Northumberland, but the cinema is hoping to secure one of the other cast members instead.

They Never Slept is one of four films on offer on 14 July, ‘handpicked to highlight what it is we do best’, accompanied by a complementary glass of prosecco and live music in the bar.

The other films are: The Summer Book, Cinema Paradiso, and La La Land.

Top left: They Never Slept; Top right: Cinema Paradiso; Bottom left: The Summer Book; Bottom right: La La Land 

Andrea Carnevali will introduce the screening of Cinema Paradiso (1988) as part of his popular Film Club strand. Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore it is a true film lover’s film: A filmmaker recalls his childhood when falling in love with the pictures at the cinema of his home village and forms a deep friendship with the cinema’s projectionist.

The Summer Book (2024), directed by Charlie McDowell, is a preview screening. The film follows the inspirational tale of a young girl and her grandmother spending a summer on a small, uninhabited island in the Gulf of Finland. Glenn Close plays the grandmother.

La La Land (2016) is the multi-award winning film starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone which scooped a record seven awards at the Golden Globes, five, including Best Film at the British Academy of Film awards, and six Oscars, including Best Director and Best Actress, making Damien Chazelle the youngest director to win Best Director.

Considered one of the best films of this century so far and one of the best musical films of all time, it is a sure-fire crowd pleaser for a celebration of the cinema’s first five years.

Tickets are £5 for La La Land or £12 for the other events.

Some famous faces who have taken part in Q&As at Chiswick Cinema over the past few years; Top left: Eddie Marsan;
Top right: George McKay; Bottom left Ben Kingsley, Geraldine James and Penelope Wilton; Bottom right: Michelle Dockery

At the party Chiswick cinema will be announcing what it has coming up later on in the year, and the first 100 people to arrive ‘will get their hands on a treat-laden Chiswick Cinema tote bag’.

Tickets: Chiswick Cinema

“We’re so grateful for the way the local community have embraced the cinema”, say the team.

“Whether it’s been through regular film attendance or through hosting and curating events with us, the support we’ve seen has been truly appreciated and transformative for what is the first cinema in Chiswick since 1934.As the wider exhibition and hospitality landscape continues to undergo its challenges, we’re so lucky to have such a supportive and welcoming local area to work with. Long may it continue!”

Cheaper tickets for under 30s

The cinema is also launching new ticket prices for under 30s. The new membership for those aged between 15 and 30 includes a free ticket and medium popcorn on sign up, and unlocks cheaper tickets across the week for those who join it.

Tickets for weekday daytimes before 5pm and classic films will be £6; tickets for evenings and weekends will be £10; and event cinema releases will be £12.

Programme and Marketing Manager Chris Parker sends out a monthly newsletter with details of films coming up. The summer schedule includes Spielberg’s new sci-fi, The Odyssey; Moana; Toy Story 5; and Spider-Man Brand New Day.

“It was really important to us as a venue to find some better value for our younger audience members”, said Chris.

“Making sure that cinema going is accessible for everyone is one of our core goals and to be able to offer cheaper tickets and better discounts through this Membership is just the start.

“Across the Q&As we do, the smaller arthouse films, the big blockbusters – we wanted to make sure that those aged 15 to 30 can enjoy the cinema at their leisure and at a great price, especially during the challenging times we all face”.

Those eligible can sign up at the cinema or by using this link: chiswickcinema.co.uk/become-a-member

Chiswick Cinema is a member of The Chiswick Calendar’s Club Card scheme – Chiswick Cinema Club Card offer