10 Best Independent Cinemas in London

You know what one of the best things about finishing my MA has been? Watching film after film in bed with not a single deadline to worry about. And when I’m not being impressively lazy I head out to the cinemas for a date night with friends, or just myself, to see the latest releases. But what I also love about independent cinemas is the opportunity to watch some of the old classics on a big screen and the discovery of lesser-known directors.

Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)

Best Cinema for: pushing boundaries
The ICA is a multi-disciplinary venue that has been promoting progressive art and culture since it opened in 1946. It holds two small cinemas typically showing arthouse and experimental filmmaking as well as talks, exhibitions and live music. For its diversity and contemporary focus, the ICA is my favourite venue. The programme is always interesting, promoting the work of BAME, female and LGBT filmmakers and artists. For these reasons I bought a membership and recommend it if you go to the cinemas regularly. There’s also the Rochelle Bar & Canteen to relax and read a book or grab a quick drink whilst you’re waiting for your film to start. But for something a little more special – say, perhaps a date – go for dinner.
Address: The Mall, St. James’s, London SW1Y 5AH. Website: www.ica.art

Electric Cinema

Best cinema for: a night of decadence
Electric Cinema in Notting Hill really pushed the boat out during its plush overhaul in 2001. For glamour and decadence there’s nowhere quite like watching a movie here with its sensational interior that consists of red leather armchairs, sofas with footstools and even velvet double beds with cashmere blankets for you to chose between. You’ll even have your own side table and vintage lamp as a finishing touch. The entrance to the cinema is also in keeping with the old-school glamour appearance, complete with a vintage style ticketing booth, chandelier and wooden pick’n’mix drawers.
Address: 191 Portobello Rd, Notting Hill, London W11 2ED. Website: www.electriccinema.co.uk

Lexi Cinema

Best Cinema for: possibly being the cutest cinema in London
Not only is Lexi Cinema the cutest little cinema in London it also donates 100% of its profits to charity and is mostly staffed by passionate volunteers. All proceeds go to The Sustainability Institute, which help a village in South Africa improve the lives of children, this now includes a new primary school built in 2016. Is there any other way you could possibly feel so good about watching a film by knowing you’re improving the lives of children in the process? No, I didn’t think so!
Address: 194B Chamberlayne Rd, Kensal Green, London NW10 3JU. Website: www.thelexicinema.co.uk

BFI South Bank

Best cinema for: film buffs
Anyone who knows their Bergmans from their Buñuels will have heard of South Bank’s four-screen British Film Institute, also known simply as the BFI. As well as screening more than 2,000 titles each year, from the classic and contemporary to the critically-acclaimed, it hosts the BFI London Film Festival in October. The festival is the UK’s largest public annual film event and consists of a vast showing of internationally selected films from new to established directors, talks and workshops. Visitors can browse hundreds of hours of film and TV from the BFI National Archive, check out the drop-in studio cinema, and shop for a range of films and books at the Filmstore. Even if you don’t have time for a film, its worth visiting the archive and grabbing lunch while looking out at fabulous views of the Thames and beyond.
Address: Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XT. Website: www.whatson.bfi.org.uk

Peckhamplex

Best cinema for: being the cheapest cinema in London
Located in the heart of Peckham, this might not be London’s smartest or prettiest cinema but its one of the most-loved cinemas in the capital. At one point, when more of my friends were students, it was one of the few places we’d go to watch films because we refused to pay the standard London price in those days. At a cost of just £4.99 at any time of day, Peckhamplex is even cheaper than most half-price cinema tickets across London. Plus (and unusually for an indie cinema), it has 6 screens so expect to find a combination of the latest Hollywood releases as well as some art house films.
Address: 95A Rye Ln, London SE15 4ST. Website: www.peckhamplex.london

Deptford Cinema

Best cinema for: art students
Deptford Cinema is the result of a successful Kickstarter Campaign in 2014 to raise funds for a cinema in Lewisham. Cool, right? Community vibes are at the soul of this place, and if Peckhamplex is the cheapest cinema in London, Deptford  Cinema comes in at second with full price tickets at £6 and concessions only £4.50. With ticket prices often less than a pint of beer you can imagine why this place is popular among students. But that’s not the only reason, there’s something quite special about this place in that it’s entirely run by volunteers with no one person being in charge. When decisions need to be made – which also include the programme and what films will be screened  – it’s a shared decision and as a result the programme reflects the diversity of the volunteers involved so you never know quite what to expect. During the summer they had a Spaghetti Western season where I watched Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time in the West for the first time. Never thought I was into Spaghetti Westerns but that was before I’d watched a Leone film.

It’s worth mentioning that this is also the smallest cinema with the smallest screen on the list. So if you’re looking for plush seating and a big screen, this isn’t the one for you.
Address: 39 Deptford Broadway, London SE8 4PQ. Website: www.deptfordcinema.org

Genesis Cinema

Best cinema for: an ode cinematic history
Not only is this cinema bloody gorgeous, it has ties to the legendary Charlie Chaplin who was a regular at the Paragon Theatre of Varieties before becoming a Hollywood star and back when the cinema was used as a theatre and music hall. The building was converted to a cinema in 1912 and named Mile End Empire and has since passed several hands and seen many changes. However, the building is now home to Genesis Cinema, owned by an East End family who were frequenters of the Mile End Empire all those years ago, and pay homage to its history in the naming of its bar: Paragon. The programme is great with a selection of mainstream, independent and short films to suit most tastes.
Address: 93-95 Mile End Rd, London E1 4UJ. Website: www.genesiscinema.co.uk

Prince Charles Cinema

Best cinema for: quirky films
The Prince Charles is the last remaining independent cinema in the West End. Previous uses for the 1960s building have been a theatre, and at one time even a cinema for porn (!). Whilst it has now neatened up its act, it’s still refreshingly brash and quirky, offering a little bit of everything in its programme: classic to cult film screenings, blockbusters, special events and retrospectives. Look out for their film seasons which have previously been dedicated to 007, Jurassic Park, Studio Ghibli and Ingmar Bergman. If you’re a fan of fancy dress, the cinema also hosts sing-a-long evening to the likes of the Sound of Music, Grease, Dirty Dancing and more. Though I can’t say I’ve been to one of these nights myself!
Address: 7 Leicester Pl, London WC2H 7BY. Website: www.princecharlescinema.com

Rio Cinema

Best for: Date night
Rio Cinema makes an impression even before you enter this Grade II listed building with its striking Art Deco facade. If I lived closer to this cinema I’d visit more often because they have a good mix of films and partly because it has a great atmosphere made even better by super decent snacks at the bar. I couldn’t get enough of the vegetable samosas, and during my last trip I saw a bunch of vegan cakes that were a far cry away from the typically standard (and rather uninspiring) snacks you usually find stocked at cinemas.
Address: 107 Kingsland High St, London E8 2PB. Website: www.riocinema.org.uk

Up-Close Cinema

Best for: its cool and cosy atmosphere
If the likes of Tarkovsky, Fellini and Antonioni rank among your favourite directors, Close-Up Cinema is for you. Named after Kiarostami’s critically-acclaimed 1990 film Close-Up, it opened its doors in 2005 but moved to its current premise just off Brick Lane in 2014. The place is charmingly small but has everything you need: a sofa lounge, books to browse, cafe/bar and a 40-seat cinema. Also, adding old-school vibes is its impressive DVD collection which is available for rent or simply peruse for film inspiration.

Close-Up’s film programmes aim to present a series of films that shaped the art of cinema and its history. Finally, whilst other cinemas are fully converting to digital, Close-Up Cinema still offers 16mm and 35mm reel-to-reel as well as digital projection. This place really is gem. 
Address: 97 Sclater St, Shoreditch, London E1 6HR. Website: www.upclosefilmcentre.com

Which of these independent cinemas in London have you visited? Can you suggests others?