Films for a Fiver – Help keep the credits rolling at No6 Cinema Portsmouth
No6 is committing to a flat rate £5 ticket for all films for the month of January. By wanting to give everyone the chance to escape the cost of living crisis and immerse themselves in a packed programme of film, the crew are wanting to give back to the community. They need your help to cover the costs and ensure that No6 remains a thriving part of Portsmouth’s cultural scene.
Like many independent cinemas across the country, the after effects of COVID-19 continue to be felt at No6 Cinema. While many of their customers have returned and new ones have discovered this building down at the Historic Dockyard, numbers are still down on where they were before the pandemic. No6 Cinema are not alone in feeling the cold draught of higher costs and drooping revenues.
We know that for many loyal customers, the cost of a ticket might be a stretch too far. Not wanting anyone to miss out on the opportunity to be informed, scared, shocked, educated, entranced, beguiled and to escape reality through films at No6, the volunteering crew want to help everyone enjoy their films. Committing to offering a flat rate £5 ticket for all films for the month of January. This will support customers on lower incomes while remaining true to a promise of showing more niche films where people can see themselves reflected by characters and situations not represented elsewhere.
So what do Cinema No6 need from you?
In addition to supporting the team by coming along to the cinema and buying a ticket – You are asked to give as much as you can to ensure covering the cost of the reduced tickets and help cover the increasing cost of security that is needed for every screening.
Give what you can to get the fab volunteering team to a £5000 target and let’s enjoy a month of films for a fiver! Donate to the crowdfund HERE
Speaking to Malissa Chafer about the history of the independent cinema that has the largest, most impressive screen on the south coast, she said “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Georgian Boathouse in Portsmouth’s Dockyard. Way back when, tenders to large ships were built within its walls but during the heavy bombing of the dockyard in WW2 the building was badly damaged and remained out of use until with Millennium Lottery funding the building was eventually rebuilt to house Action Stations and a fantastic state of the art cinema was installed with an enormous screen, raked seating and cinema-quality sound and projection equipment.
Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust set up No6 Cinema to make use of that incredible facility and Portsmouth’s only independent cinema was established in Boathouse 6. Sadly, the Property Trust eventually decided to withdraw its funding. So a group of keen cinema-loving volunteers, desperate not to lose this incredible facility, got together to try and keep the cinema running. Established in 2012, under new volunteer management, the not-for-profit cinema has relied on the incredible support and goodwill of volunteers and customers alike, each of whom has helped ensure this gem of a cinema has kept the credits rolling in the city for ten years now.
Our main aim has been to not only bring entertaining, quality mainstream films to the cinema but to show an exciting range of films away from the multiplex fare. With a broad and balanced programme, we know that some films we screen won’t have mass appeal but will be valued by some sections of the community. We know that it is crucial to have a truly independent cinema that is prepared to show the more niche films where people can see themselves reflected by characters and situations not represented elsewhere. ‘See it be it’ has long been part of our philosophy.
Small independent cinemas have long struggled to survive in tough competition with mega-multiplexes. No6 has striven to build partnerships with other organisations in the city to create a unique venue where:
- University of Portsmouth students can see their films on the big screen for the first time,
- The Pompey Pirates, a local Literacy Group, screened their initial attempts at filmmaking,
- Journeys Festival International hosted film screenings,
- young filmmakers ran their horror film festival,
- Making Waves launched their bid for a Pompey Film Festival,
- D.day was commemorated with talks, Q&As and films,
- Ports Fest was celebrated
- and we have run many, many more worthwhile collaborations.
No6 offers a friendly atmosphere generated by our volunteers. We have a licensed bar serving locally brewed beers and often have live music, deejaying, veejaying, quizzes, Q& As and even dance lessons.
With your support, we hope to keep offering amazing films and ensure that No6 remains a thriving part of Portsmouth’s cultural scene. “
To support Cinema No 6 and find out the schedules of films to be screened, please see all icons below. With films like Polar Express on the big screen this Saturday at 4.15pm, it is important for us to keep the magic of this big independent screen alive!
Feature Photo taken from a Southsea Folk magazine of Malissa Chafer
Image Carousel Images by Kevin Dean, Local Artist at Art Space
