Romford Picture House Wins Eleventh-Hour Reprieve Following Energy Dispute
News of a most distressing character reached the British film community on Thursday, 20 August, when Lumiere Cinema in Romford announced that it was being forced to close its doors amid rising energy costs and an unexpected dispute with SSE Energy Solutions.
Lumiere Cinema is the home of the Romford Film Festival and the Romford Horror Film Festival, two events which have performed valuable service in bringing the work of independent filmmakers before the public.
The announcement was greeted with immediate dismay. Filmmakers, artists and supporters of independent cinema throughout the country expressed their anger and concern, while appeals for assistance were directed towards journalists, public representatives and other influential persons.
Mr Spencer Hawken, chairman of the Romford Film Trust, which operates the cinema, delivered an emotional filmed address to Lumiere’s supporters. He described the grave circumstances confronting the organisation and the imminent danger that its electricity supply would be disconnected.
Since taking possession of the former Premiere Cinema, the Romford Film Trust has transformed the premises into a centre for films, festivals and other artistic activities. The undertaking has provided employment and voluntary opportunities for local people, while offering independent filmmakers the increasingly rare privilege of presenting their work upon a proper cinema screen.
Of particular distinction is the Romford Horror Film Festival, with which Amicus Productions, Hex Studios, British Horror Studio and The B-Team have been proud to be associated. Recent productions receiving their premières at Lumiere include In the Grip of Terror, Mr Whispers, Black Chariot and Spoiling You.
As news of the threatened closure travelled across the country, senior representatives of British Horror Studio assembled to consider what assistance might be offered to Mr Hawken and his colleagues. The crisis appeared to be developing by the minute. According to Mr Hawken, technicians were already present at the premises and preparing to disconnect the electricity supply.
Then, only a few hours after the original announcement, there came a remarkable reversal of fortune.
Mr Hawken informed supporters that the immediate danger had been overcome and that Lumiere Cinema had secured a reprieve. Journalists, political representatives and private supporters had responded with remarkable speed, offering financial assistance, political support and legal advice.
At a time when picture houses throughout Britain continue to labour beneath severe financial pressures, such a spontaneous demonstration of public affection is both uncommon and heartening. It revealed the high regard in which Lumiere is held, not merely in Romford, but among filmmakers and lovers of independent cinema throughout Britain and beyond.
The full terms of the settlement have not yet been disclosed, and it would therefore be premature to declare that all the cinema’s financial difficulties have passed. Nevertheless, the immediate threat of closure has been lifted and Lumiere will continue its important work.
Thus ended an extraordinary day in which the apparent loss of a valued British cultural institution was followed, within a matter of hours, by the joyful announcement of its survival.
Amicus Productions, Hex Studios, British Horror Studio, The B-Team and this publication, the British Horror Chronicle, extend their warmest good wishes to Mr Spencer Hawken, Natalie Bays and the whole Lumiere company.
Long may the lamps of Lumiere continue to burn.
About Mr Lawrie Brewster
Mr Lawrie Brewster is a Scottish producer and director with more than fifteen years of experience in independent horror cinema.
He leads the British Horror Studio, serves as President of Amicus Productions and oversees the British Horror Studio Community initiative. His career, from the earliest productions of Hex Studios to the restoration of the Amicus name, has been chronicled in How Mr Lawrie Brewster Defied the Odds and Built a Gothic Empire.
For further information, readers may visit his official Internet residence.
