A Croydon treasure: the David Lean Cinema is reducing its ticket prices
Croydon commuters’ rail fares might be going up in January, but cinema-goers’ booking fees are being cut.
At least, movie-goers at the David Lean Cinema in the Clocktower on Katharine Street will be getting cheaper tickets for screenings from January 3, as prices are being cut by almost 12 per cent.
This price change is in addition to the community spirit shown with the “free” charity screenings being held over the Christmas holiday, when cinema-goers are asked to donate the money they might have spent on their tickets to a local cause.
The Save The David Lean Cinema Campaign, who run the cinema programming at the venue, announced this week, “We are pleased to announce that we are reducing our ticket prices for bookings for films showing after January 3 – to £7.50 (standard) and £6 (concessions), and introducing a new rate of £5 for those aged 25 and under.
“We have made these changes following a review of our prices compared with those at other local cinemas. We are a non-profit-making organisation and rather than accumulating reserves, we want to reward our loyal audiences. We are also particularly keen to encourage more young people to visit the cinema.”
With a little help from Inside Croydon, the Save The David Lean Cinema Campaign was formed in 2011 to fight the arts cuts of then then Tory-run council, which included closing the 60-seater arthouse cinema which carries the name of the Croydon-born Oscar-winning director.
January’s screening of SuperBob comes with a Q&A with the director and the star
After three years of campaigning and cajoling, the cinema was re-opened in 2014, with the group’s volunteers running the programme of screenings, the projection room and the front of house ticket sales. Today, the volunteer-led group holds five or six movie screenings each week in a refurbished and ungraded cinema, while collaborating with other community cinemas in the borough. March 2019 will be the fifth anniversary of the cinema’s re-opening under the management of the campaigners.
Their January programme comprises the by-now familiar eclectic mix of quirky and foreign films, alongside Hollywood blockbusters and regular opportunities to meet the film-makers.
The start to the new year offers a typical example: a zombie musical (yes), is followed by a Cannes Festival-winner in Japanese, Robert Redford’s last movie (probably), there’s an acclaimed documentary about the art world, which comes before a film about a superhero Peckham postman who falls in love with Catherine Tate, when the director and star will answer audience questions afterwards.
And all for around half the price of a multiplex ticket…
- Unless otherwise stated, from Jan 3 2019, tickets for screenings are £7.50. Concessions (Freedom Pass-holders, full-time students, claimants and disabled) £6; Under-25s are £5.
David Lean Cinema programme for January 2019
All films are at 2.30 and 7.30pm unless stated
Tue Jan 8 ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE (15) (7.30pm)
2017 UK/USA 97min. Dir: John McPhail
Stars: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire
A zombie musical may not seem the obvious way to extend the festive season, but this “delightfully crazy and highly entertaining” (Variety) film offers laughs and chills, in addition to memorable, well-staged songs. When the walking dead threaten the sleepy Scottish town of Little Haven, Anna and her school friends find themselves in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. Critics have referred to Shaun of the Dead and La La Land, and we can recommend it to fans of both!
Thu Jan 10 SHOPLIFTERS (15)
2018 Jpn 121min (Japanese with subtitles). Dir: Koreeda Hirokazu
Stars: Lily Franky, Ando Sakura, Kiki Kirin
The winner of 2018’s top prize at Cannes, Shoplifters follows a small band of marginalised misfits struggling to make ends meet on the outskirts of Tokyo. Renowned Japanese director Koreeda (Our Little Sister, After the Storm) shines a spotlight on the struggling classes with his usual insight, compassion and humour. A triumph of subtlety over spectacle, profoundly reflecting on modern life and the nature of family, Shoplifters is sure to steal your heart. “A rich, satisfying and deeply intelligent film” (The Guardian).
Tue Jan 15 SUPERBOB (15) (7.30pm)
2015 UK 82min. Dir: Jon Drever
Stars: Brett Goldstein, Catherine Tate, Natalia Tena
Stand-Up Film Club Q&A with Jon Drever and Brett Goldstein.
After a freak meteor storm turns postman Bob from Peckham into a superhero, he must face his greatest challenge: going on his first date in six years. Bob must balance international politics, saving the world and getting the girl. Today, Bob is an overworked underappreciated “civil servant” for the British government. He spends most waking hours saving people and filling out forms. He has no time for anything else. Least of all love. But today he has a day off. And best of all, he has a date with June from the library.
In partnership with Screen 25 and The Croydon Comedy Festival.
Wed Jan 16 THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING (12A) (7.30pm)
2018 USA 99min. Dir: Nathaniel Kahn
Features: Larry Poons, Jeff Koons, Njideka Akunyili Crosby
“Money and art are like Siamese twins,” says British dealer Gavin Brown in this fascinating documentary. Koons seems less an artist, more the Wolf of Wall St, and Brown’s contemporaries treat paintings and sculptures as an investment class. Yet all is not lost – reclusive Poons keeps painting after decades out of fashion, meticulous, innovative newcomer Crosby breaks through, and collector Stefan Edlis thrives by satisfying his personal taste first and the market second.
Thu Jan 17 DISOBEDIENCE (15)
2017 UK/Ire/USA 114min. Dir: Sebastián Lelio
Stars: Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola
Ronit (Weisz) returns to the Orthodox Jewish community in north London of her childhood following the death of her father, and is persuaded to stay at the home of her friend Dovid (Nivola) and his wife Esti (McAdams). Ronit feels increasingly uncomfortable in this ultra-religious environment, from which she was previously ostracised – and she and Esti share a secret past. “A gorgeously acted, written and directed spellbinder” (Rolling Stone) from the director of A Fantastic Woman.
Tue Jan 22 SORRY TO BOTHER YOU (15) (7.30pm)
2018 USA 111min. Dir: Boots Riley
Stars: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler
In a dystopian near-future version of Oakland California, Cassius gets a job as a telemarketer and finds the best way to make sales is by using his “white voice”. When he does, everyone buys. He’s on his way to becoming a “Power Caller” and heading upstairs to the big time, but what do they sell up there? His fellow telemarketers plan to unionise and go on strike and there’s a shady entrepreneur (Armie Hammer) who has cornered the market in comfortable slavery for all and has a new plan to “improve” mankind. This is a Black comedy in all senses of the word.
Thu Jan 24 WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? (12A)
2018 USA 94min. Dir: Morgan Neville
Features: Fred Rogers, Joanne Rogers, John Rogers
From 1968 to 2000, Fred Rogers used television to pursue his mission to help children, creating a magical world with a message of unconditional love for all. Rogers explained the complicated issues of the day – from the assassination of Robert Kennedy to the Challenger explosion – and championed inclusion and integration. This charming and inspirational documentary explores his motivations and his effect on generations of American children. If you’ve not heard of Rogers before, check out the compelling trailer for this remarkable film.
Tue Jan 29 1945 (12A) (7.30pm)
For Holocaust Memorial Day
2017 Hun 91min (Hungarian with subtitles). Dir: Ferenc Török
Stars: Péter Rudolf, Bence Tasnádi, Tamas Szabo Kimmel
In a small Hungarian village at the end of the World War II, the locals are gearing up for the wedding of local magistrate’s son. The arrival of two Jewish men, who may be father and son, with two mysterious wooden boxes gets everyone worried – have they come to claim their property? Or to seek revenge for the mass round-up of their fellows by the Nazis, to which the village turned a blind eye? The smug façade of the village slowly crumbles as motives are questioned in this powerful drama.
Thu Jan 31 THE OLD MAN & THE GUN (12A)
2018 USA 93 mins. Director: David Lowery
Stars: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek
In what is suggested will be his last acting role, Redford plays Forrest Tucker, who escaped from San Quentin at the age of 70. With a pair of similarly aged accomplices, he launched a series of audacious bank heists that perplexed the police and delighted the public. With effortless chemistry between Redford and Spacek, and echoing his classics such as Butch Cassidy and The Sting, the film ensures we’re rooting for this old rogue. “A love letter to a cinematic legend” (RogerEbert.com).
* The 2.30pm screening will be subtitled for those with hearing loss.
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