Get to Know… Tyneside Cinema
Come with us as we get to know Tyneside Cinema, a vital part of Newcastle's cultural life
It’s easy to take things for granted – places you see every day, walk past on the way to work or out shopping – and forgot how brilliant they are and what a central place they hold in the life of the city.
Tyneside Cinema can be a bit like that. It’s been there almost a century, on and off, and it plays a significant role in the city’s cultural life, but not everybody appreciates what it does for us, or knows much about its history and its importance. So we’d like to help you get to know Tyneside Cinema, especially now when times are tough for many cultural landmarks.
Tyneside is no ordinary cinema: sure, it has four screens, which enables it to show both blockbusters and more specialist/art house movies in a way very few cinemas can, but it’s fully independent and a registered charity so it has a commitment to diversity, connection and playing a vital role in the life of the city, cultural and otherwise.
Everything about Tyneside Cinema is appealing, from the glorious art deco building itself to the café (Tyneside Bar Café) and coffee bar (Vicolo) and from the four very different but comfortable screens to its ongoing cultural programmes and other projects. As most people know by now, its founder Dixon Scott – who established Tyneside Cinema as a newsreel theatre in 1937 is the great uncle of Ridley and Tony Scott, both acclaimed and locally-born directors who between them have made dozens of classic movies like Blade Runner, True Romance, Thelma & Louise and Top Gun. Put simply, its cinematic roots run deep.
To help us help you get to know more about Tyneside Cinema we had a chat with its head of marketing Andrew Simpson who gave us some insights into the cinema, how it works and where it fits into Newcastle's cultural landscape.
We started by asking Andrew about the cinema’s special status in the North East, and how it achieved that status.
“Tyneside Cinema has been at the heart of the city since 1937, and it is a place that has been providing amazing cinema experiences for people for a very long time,” he explains. “Longevity is definitely part of it, but mostly I think it’s because Tyneside Cinema has always been a place committed to showing the best in new, classic and leftfield cinema from all over the world to audiences in Newcastle and further afield, as well as providing a space to discover, talk, and learn about film. Few places offer the range of films and events that we do, or the space to be inspired by cinema, in quite the same way. We’re very proud of our place in the community and want to continue to be that destination for people for a long time to come.“
Having four screens obviously offers Tyneside Cinema more flexibility than a lot of smaller independent cinemas, and this obviously feeds into the range of movies on offer.
"Several screens means we can have a lot of breadth in our programming,” says Andrew. "We think the range of what we show is one of our major selling points, that of being able to offer our audience a real choice, and cater for all tastes. We try and do something similar with our seasons, offering a range of great classic titles that people would love to see on the big screen, as well as lesser known, vital films from around the world. Seasons offer the chance to see personal favourites, but also offer a chance for audiences to go on a journey and discover films they might not otherwise have seen. That’s what we are here for and it’s one of the things the team gets most excited about. As a community space with a charitable and social mission, we always try and explore important social issues, as well as wider film history and pure entertainment, with what we programme at the cinema.”
Examples of the seasons Andrew mentioned can be found right now – there’s a season of Lars von Trier movies, covering the whole career of the Danish cinematic troublemaker, and seasons celebrating horror maestro John Carpenter and the magnificent Greta Gerwig.
One of the notable aspects of Tyneside Cinema is its role in the city beyond simply showing great films and we asked Andrew to outline some of the organisation’s other functions.
“As a charity and a community venue Tyneside Cinema is committed to being as inclusive and accessible as possible, hence running daily hard-of-hearing subtitled shows, as well autism-friendly screenings, parent and baby screenings, family screenings, and our Silver Screen programme, which allows older audiences to watch and talk about film together," explains Andrew. "It’s a vital part of what we do, and something that the cinema and the team are really committed to. We also offer £1 tickets to people who are unwaged, as well as refugees and asylum seekers, which no other cinema in the UK does.”
Tyneside Cinema often gets used for things other than movie-watching – there have been great musical events there, DJs in the bar, talks and workshops – and the cinema plays a big role in the wider city beyond just film.
“We’ve got a beautiful, striking building that people love to visit,” Andrew says. “We've also been a community space as well as a cinema for all the time that we have been here, so people feel a real sense of belonging and community around the venue. There’s that personal connection that goes across generations, with so many people in the city having a story about their relationship with the cinema. Then there’s the commitment to a wider events programme, celebrating a range of artforms, and being a thriving social space within the city, with two different food and drink venues in the building. Even if we’re not doing as much as we would like on the events and cross-arts side at the moment due to the current financial situation, it’s a vital part of the cinema’s history and personality, and one that you can feel when you are in the building.”
Tyneside Cinema has made no secret of the fact that it’s facing tough times at the moment, with fundraising and awareness campaigns in full swing, and Andrew is obviously keen to get everyone involved.
“Unfortunately the independent cinema business isn’t a profitmaking one, and that is particularly the case in the aftermath of the pandemic," he explains. "Audiences haven’t returned in sufficient numbers, and with spiralling costs and the cost of living crisis, that has put the cinema at serious risk of closure. We need to raise more than £100,000 this year to help keep the cinema open, and anyone who would like to support us can do so via the campaign website - every penny counts and we really appreciate every show of support. People can also support us by coming to the cinema and buying tickets, or spending money in our bar, or by buying memberships or merchandise.”
We wondered if the 'Barbenheimer' phenomenon - the media fuss/meme explosion around the two biggest movies of the year, Barbie and Oppenheimer, opening on the same day - has helped.
“It has been huge for us. Barbie was our biggest ever opener at Tyneside Cinema) and has been a big help," says Andrew. "But it’s that year-round success and support we need to be able to keep going in the longer term.”
Despite difficult circumstances, there are still some exciting plans to be announced including fundraising events and Tyneside Cinema's always-magnificent Christmas programme.
As is tradition, we finished by asking Andrew about his personal experiences at the Tyneside – both working in the building and in terms of great movie-watching.
“The best part of working here is seeing the audience leave a film screening having just watched something that has knocked their socks off, or sitting in a director Q&A when the audience has loved their film, and seeing the conversation unfold. That is what we are here for, and in the six years I have been here I can safely say it never gets old," he says. "The best film experience at Tyneside Cinema is always Christmas-time, when it feels like so much of the city comes to together to experience the festive spirit with us, whether it be watching It’s a Wonderful Life, Die Hard or Home Alone, having a drink with family or friends in the bar, or bringing the family along for a special Christmas treat. It’s our busiest time of the year, and there never ceases to be something magical about it.“
There’s always something special going on at Tyneside Cinema beyond what’s on the screens – from afternoon teas to Storytime sessions for the kids, live theatre broadcasts and the secret Tyneside speakeasy - all of which are advertised on its website. If you’re planning a special event – from meetings to birthdays, or even weddings – there are plenty of venue hire opportunities too.
Now that you're clued up in Tyneside Cinema, why not get involved with everything it has to offer? It really is a very special part of Newcastle’s life and as the saying goes - "use it, or lose it."
Tyneside Cinema is located at 10 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne. For more information about screenings, events and venue hire visit www.tynesidecinema.co.uk.
