Cinema Now (2022)

'Cinema Now' is a short, observational documentary film depicting closed cinemas from the point of view of their exteriors in and amongst the London cityscape. During the COVID-19 pandemic thus far, cinemas around the country have been closed and left (largely) without government funding or support - depriving audiences of their love for cinema. The film sets out to document cinemas in their current state. With no narration or music - except an overwhelming cascade of localised, diegetic sounds (traffic noise, pedestrians walking and natural ambiences) for every cinema filmed - the film intends to show cinemas as they are now: motionless, noiseless, devoid of activity. The occasional pedestrian may incidentally cross the frame, as might a car or bicycle - none of these occurrences will be scripted, or conversely, made to feel purposefully desolate. With the film, we want to capture and show not just closed cinemas but members of the public passively walking by and giving little, if any, notice to them. The film will thus take the form of an observational documentary, with long static shots of each venue. The matter of fact is that whilst the people's cinemas remain closed, wider society has felt powerless. The film is committed to demonstrating solidarity with independent cinema owners, staff and public alike who all cherish the cinema as an establishment, a social space and as a means for discovering film.