Member Article

Tyneside Cinema announces independent film partnership

Tyneside Cinema and Crowne Plaza Hotel Newcastle have announced an exciting strategic partnership that will see the cinema host a series of exclusive Q&A screening events over the next 12 months, helping to champion independent filmmakers and bring some of the UK and global cinema’s best international talent to the North East.

And for Nic Greenan, CEO of Tyneside Cinema, the Q&As offer “unique, memorable experiences, which people just can’t get anywhere else.”

As part of the collaboration, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which is situated in Newcastle’s city centre, will support Tyneside Cinema by providing premium accommodation for its guests, enabling the cinema to invite filmmakers from around the country and beyond to Newcastle. 

Nic added: “Having the Crown Plaza as our Q&A sponsor, supporting what’s going to be an exciting season of guests, allows us as a charity to offer a unique stay and experience to filmmakers whilst visiting. This means that more writers, directors and producers can visit Newcastle.

“Our partners are so important to helping us continue to offer the unique experience of the Tyneside to guests and our audiences, and we’re very grateful to Crowne Plaza Newcastle for their support.”

Paul Borg, General Manager of the Crowne Plaza in Newcastle, added: “We are thrilled to engage in this partnership with Tyneside Cinema, a beloved cornerstone of the Newcastle community.

“Supporting local businesses is a core value for us, and Tyneside Cinema holds a special place in the hearts of many, including myself. We’re excited to collaborate with them and contribute to the vibrant cultural landscape of our city."

Located on Newcastle’s Pilgrim Street, in an iconic Art Deco grade II-listed building, Tyneside Cinema is the city’s only full-time independent cultural cinema, boasting the last remaining newsreel theatre to be in full-time operation in the UK. The cinema, which employs over 60 staff and is a registered charity, announced earlier this year that it had secured a £700,000 loan from the North East Social Investment Fund, managed by Northstar Ventures, to help fund a major turnaround plan.

That was followed in July by a further investment of £545,000 in National Lottery grants from the British Film Institute (BFI) and The National Lottery Heritage Fund to further secure the cinema’s future.

And bolstered by the funding, the Q&A screenings are the first in a series of planned tie-ups between Tyneside Cinema and business supporters, as the cinema pursues its plan to bring more cultural events to Newcastle, whilst also seeking to maximise revenue by hiring out spaces at its venue for business breakfasts, film premieres and networking events.

And judging by the response to its first Q&A event, which was sold-out and saw the cinema welcome director Daniel Kokotajlo to discuss his highly acclaimed folk-horror film Starve Acre, based on the acclaimed novel by Andrew Michael Hurley and starring former Doctor Who star Matt Smith, this much-loved institution looks set to continue to play a pivotal role in the creative economy of the city. 

Future events will see the Tyneside host acclaimed DJ and filmmaker Don Letts on 3 October, alongside Britain’s first reggae band, The Cimarons, for the Newcastle premiere of Harder Than The Rock, a documentary about the band and their enduring influence on the UK reggae scene. This will then be followed by a visit from acclaimed British actor-director Alice Lowe for a screening of Timestalker, her critically lauded time travel black comedy. 

Further details of future events can be found at https://tynesidecinema.co.uk/whats-on/.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Bdaily Publishing .