On 11 Sep 2009 at 10:04am BRIXTONBELLE wrote:
Lewes is a great town. It's obvious from all the debate here that people love it, both old and newcomers. But all good towns need a cinema. I read in Viva Lewes this month that one almost got going a while ago opposite the station. I like the film club at the All Saints, but it would be nice to just walk down the road to see the latest releases rather than go to Brighton.
So Anyone interested in supporting a new drive for a good cinema. ???
On 11 Sep 2009 at 12:20pm Ed Can Do wrote:
I can't see it being commerically viable. A decent cinema would need to be showing a few of the latest films a couple of times a day and there just aren't enough people in town to warrant it. With there being two big cinemas in Brighton and a couple in Eastbourne, it's dead easy to get to one and the better and better than home entertainment systems get, the less and less people are willing to fork out a fiver to go and see a film.
It's a nice idea but it'll never happen.
On 11 Sep 2009 at 2:12pm nothing to see here... wrote:
There are prospering cinemas in Uckfield, Burgess Hill etc. I think it could work in Lewes. It would probably be the nearest cinema to Newhaven and Seaford; maybe even Peacehaven.
The trouble is that none of the smaller indie chains like Picturehouse have the financial wherewithal to build from scratch.
On 11 Sep 2009 at 5:34pm Old Ted wrote:
I'm all in favour of a cinema - just so long as it's got no connection with Angel Property's proposal to build one on land it doesn't own as a crafty way of getting permission to build 700 shoddy flats to ruin the town. That's too high a price to pay. (Psst - that's what's behind this latest burst of talk about a cinema. Preparing us for Angel's application as soon as the recession ends.)
On 11 Sep 2009 at 8:09pm Mark wrote:
Wasn't it great when we used to have 2 to choose from.
oh the good old days.
On 12 Sep 2009 at 2:49pm Rose Tinted Specs wrote:
Cinemas are now a total ripoff. Won't let you take your own sweets or drinks in and charge a fortune for their own stuff. Boycott them all and wait six months 'till the DVD is a fiver in Tescos. Better still watch an illegal stream on the 'net for zilch. S0d 'em.
A cinema in town would be a dead duck. Why do you think the last two folded?
On 12 Sep 2009 at 8:12pm mr topsy-turvy wrote:
consider also the parking problem - all the cinemas locally are in close proximity to a free or reasonably priced car park. The one exception is the Duke of York's but that is surrounded by thousands of potential cinema goers within walking distance and is also a quite unique experience. Sorry but 'love film' and Sky movies has killed the commercial viability of a small cinema in a place like this.
Lets keep enjoying what is on offer at the All Saints!
On 15 Sep 2009 at 1:50pm Lewes Cinema wrote:
We read the content in Viva Lewes with some irritation but no surprise whatsoever. There is so much mis-leading propaganda out there, I would like to attempt to put the record straight..
Despite what Viva Lewes would have you believe - the main provider of cinema in Lewes is in fact the independently operated LEWES CINEMA and not Lewes Film Club. Lewes Film Club caters very well for a select minority with around 30 shows a year, and has done that for a very long time. We at Lewes Cinema are breaking our necks (and have done for the last 8 years) to provide a near full cinema service under very difficult and limited circumstances at the All Saints.
Lewes Cinema actually shows only slightly fewer films a year than Uckfield - which is quite impressive when you consider that Uckfield has 3 screens operating full-time and we have just one screen operating for just 6 days a month (every alt weekend) which equates to around 130-150 screenings a year. There is indeed some considerable doubt whether Lewes could sustain a full-time cinema which is why, for example, we don't usually operate in August - too much of the population is away doing other things, apparently.
However, I do think that the existing Lewes Cinema deserves more vocal support by the town - it IS very lovingly supported by the thousands of public who pass through our doors each year. But we are not supported in any way by the officials at the Town Hall who continue to place obstacles in the way of more cinema by generally being as difficult as possible. (that's the officials at town hall, not the councillors by the way).
Then there is the problem of promotion. Viva Lewes has a choice to promote and represent what we screen or not. For their own reasons they choose to give us minimal coverage while at the same time periodically complaining about the lack of a cinema. If they REALLY believed in supporting cinema in the town in general they would go out of their way to promote what we do in the town. But instead they do their best to confuse the casual observer into thinking that there is only a film club which they try to talk-up as much as possible. There is a suspicion that what Viva Lewes actually want is an extended version of the film club - ironic really as any other commercial operator that did come into the town would certainly not be sensitive to the elitist demands of Viva Lewes.
We think we have the balance about right for the size and type of population in Lewes. We have no membership, are open to all, and try to cater for as broad a range of people as possible. We screen a lot of films a few weeks after release and we have broad mix of mainstream, arthouse, family, specialist. And what's more, we already exist, and our cinema service is not conditional on the building of additional houses or flats!
Personally as film programmer and promoter I give all my time to Lewes Cinema for free (and it depends on other volunteers as well) and feel it is about time that we are properly praised for what we do. Viva Lewes will not give fair and even-handed coverage of what happens in the town and it is not their intention to do so they have told us that they are intentionally selective in their coverage. So, those that wish us to continue to prosper should write to viva lewes and ask why they do not support the cinema service we already have rather than whining about a new one.
Please support what you already have, after all the reason that the previous cinemas in Lewes closed was a lack of support..
On 17 Sep 2009 at 1:17pm Brixtonbelle wrote:
My apologies Lewes cinema, I did think you and the film club were one and the same. You sound like you are doing a great job, I'd just like to go to the cinema locally (walking distance) on my days off form work, which as I work shifts, nights and sometimes weekends means that I generally can't make the every other weekend dates that you offer. There is something very pleasant about going to a matinee performance on a wet winter day to catch up with the latest releases. But I guess I'll just have to get in my car to do that.
On 17 Sep 2009 at 1:48pm Lewes Cinema wrote:
No need to apologise - we are just a little frustrated by Viva Lewes one-sided coverage.