The Chiswick Cinema celebrated its fifth anniversary with an evening that reflected everything the independent venue has become since opening its doors in 2021: a home for outstanding cinema, meaningful local partnerships and a thriving community.

Guests enjoyed live jazz from house band Evening Standards, a welcome drink courtesy of Matthew Clark, food from new kitchen partner Little Bao Boys in collaboration with Food Street Market, community stalls hosted by local organisations, and commemorative goodie bags featuring treats from Joe & Seph’s.

The celebration also featured a specially curated programme including a 10th anniversary screening of La La Land, a members’ preview of The Summer Book, a Film Club presentation of Cinema Paradiso and a Simon Gray retrospective with a panel featuring Sir Richard Eyre, Udayan Prasad, James Fleet and Margy Kinmonth.

Speaking during the celebrations, General Manager Connor Harper reflected on the cinema’s journey through a changing industry, describing The Chiswick Cinema as “somewhere people gather, somewhere conversations begin, somewhere families make memories, somewhere film lovers can discover something unexpected.” Operations Manager Nick Gilbert added that, beyond the films themselves, the cinema is about “the achievements, the friendships and community, the points of view and the stories.”

Since opening, The Chiswick Cinema has welcomed more than 465,000 admissions, served over 111,000 boxes of popcorn and 59,000 glasses of wine, cementing its place as one of West London’s leading independent cinemas.

Looking ahead, the management team unveiled plans to expand the cinema’s programme of specialist screenings and community initiatives, including an exclusive season of films curated by critic Michael Billington, a dedicated under-30 membership, the launch of Little Bao Boys as the cinema’s new kitchen partner, and a hand-drawn map celebrating Chiswick’s independent businesses.

The evening also recognised the cinema’s Community Champions and celebrated the partners, members, staff and audiences whose support has shaped its first five years.

As the cinema enters its next chapter, its ambition remains unchanged: to create memorable shared experiences that bring people together and prove that, as The Chiswick Cinema proudly says, “it’s better on the big screen.”

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ROSEMARY INTERVIEW

Trafalgar’s Joint CEO Rosemary Squire spoke to The Chiswick Calendar recently on the occasion of The Chiswick Cinema’s fifth birthday 🍿🎞️🎥 You can read the full interview here!