Still Showing: A Tour of London’s Indie Cinemas | My Soho Times

Despite the rise of streaming, London’s independent cinemas are far from fading away without a fight. From repertory marathons in Leicester Square to radical screenings at the ICA, Freya Starr explores the venues keeping the capital’s communal film culture alive.

London has long been a celebrated city of cinema. It’s impossible not to be moved by its celluloid beauty – the dramatic backdrop for lovers, gangsters, period dramas and wartime adventures. It’s a city made to be filmed. Aside from often assuming its own starring role on screen, the capital also happens to be packed with cinemas built for the express purpose of experiencing films together – because at its heart, cinema will always be a communal experience.

Today, there’s an increasingly common narrative among film-watchers that the dawn of streaming has heralded the death of cinema. With films and TV shows now available to consume effortlessly from the comfort of our own homes, the time-honoured experience of travelling to your favourite picture house and settling down in front of a screen surrounded by strangers is supposedly on its way out.

Undoubtedly, streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime have transformed the way we consume long-form media. However, take a closer look at London’s cinema scene and it becomes clear that for a particular subsection – independent arts and cinema venues – the idea of rapid decline could not be further from the truth.

The capital’s independent film spaces are, in many cases, thriving. There are venues with fiercely loyal followings and sold-out screenings that slice clean through the idea that audiences don’t care about cinema anymore.

According to the UK Cinema Association, cinema admissions remain steady across the country, with healthy increases since the inevitably low pandemic numbers. In 2025, admissions reached 123.5 million – a significant rise compared to the 2021 dip to 74 million. The appetite, it seems, never really went away; it just stayed in for a while.

Prince Charles Cinema

Rain notwithstanding, we decided to put this to the test, setting out on a gloomy February Friday night for the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square and a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Founded in 1963, the venue took on its current incarnation as an independent cinema in the early 1990s, with a renewed focus on classic and niche films (having previously played host, in time-honoured Soho fashion, to some slightly less edifying cinematic fare).

Since then, it has built a cult following and become known for its Q&As and live discussions, regularly featuring A-list and independent filmmakers and actors who dub it their favourite London cinema – see Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan, among others. When the Prince Charles faced potential closure recently, a number of high-profile figures, including Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright, publicly voiced their support. The #SaveThePCC campaign remains ongoing, with organisers continuing to share updates via the venue’s website and social channels.

Most recently, Timothée Chalamet made a surprise appearance following a screening of his Oscar-nominated film Marty Supreme, prompting a brief social media frenzy as Chinatown passers-by scrambled to catch a glimpse of him charging into the cinema, security team in tow.

Given what feels like Day 100 of endless rain, one could argue we’re at prime time for staying home and flopping in front of the TV. But the venue is packed. Cinemagoers spill onto the famous steps, beers in hand, the lobby buzzing with pre-screening chatter.

The Prince Charles has long been a byword for quirky, inventive repertory screenings of lesser-known films alongside big crowd-pleasers and themed seasons. Long-running special events include regular 35mm and 70mm screenings; sing-alongs (The Rocky Horror Picture Show remains a years-long firm favourite); double and triple bills; and all-nighters like the ‘Mystery Marathon’, where five unnamed films are screened back-to-back – no hints allowed. The first typically starts around 10:30pm. Then there are the famous ‘From the Board’ showings, where visitors write their dream picks onto a chalkboard in the downstairs bar and the cinema selects a handful to programme.

It’s hard to think of another venue in London with such an idiosyncratic mix. The through-line is enthusiasm. You don’t go to the Prince Charles passively; you go to take part.

Curzon Soho

A short ten-minute walk away sits Curzon Soho, another West End bastion of arthouse cinema. Founded in 1934, Curzon now operates several locations across London and beyond, but Soho remains something of a centre point. Known for championing independent and international films, Curzon has long been synonymous with indie and world cinema in the capital. Through its distribution arm, Curzon Artificial Eye, it has played a significant role in increasing the visibility of auteur filmmakers to UK audiences.

Programming extends well beyond straight releases. The venue hosts a selection of film festivals, most recently the London Short Film Festival, platforming emerging filmmakers and experimental work. Its ‘Film Club’ also spotlights recently acclaimed independent titles, offering audiences a curated way to catch films that might otherwise slip through the cracks, alongside live theatre and opera broadcasts – including upcoming transmissions from the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)

Continue navigating the crosstown traffic down Shaftesbury Avenue and beyond, and eventually you’ll find your way to the ICA on The Mall, where the atmosphere shifts again. The cinema here is part of a wider cultural ecosystem: art galleries upstairs, a bookshop, a packed schedule of talks and performances, and a bar that stays open late into the night.

The ICA’s film programme skews experimental and political, platforming artists’ moving-image work, under-seen international cinema, archival restorations and boundary-pushing new releases. Retrospectives of radical filmmakers sit alongside activist documentaries and cross-disciplinary events that blend film with live discussion. It’s less about nostalgia and more about provocation. If the Prince Charles thrives on collective chaos and Curzon on curated programming, the ICA thrives on conversation. You leave not just entertained, but curious to know more.

East London & Beyond

Highlighting these few venues barely scratches the surface of independent cinema in the city. Travel east and both Genesis Cinema in Mile End and Rio Cinema in Dalston champion emerging filmmakers alongside mainstream releases. Genesis blends accessible programming with cult throwbacks, horror nights and LGBTQ+ film strands, while the Rio, with its Art Deco frontage, has long leaned into politically engaged programming and radical documentary seasons.

The same can be said for Close-Up Cinema off Brick Lane, and of course, the long-standing centrepiece of independent film culture, the British Film Institute on the Southbank, whose repertory programming and festivals anchor the city’s cinephile calendar.

What ties all of these spaces together isn’t nostalgia, but intent. In a world where you can watch almost anything instantly, London’s artistic film spaces offer something that can’t be downloaded: atmosphere and engagement. These independent venues are participative – with bars where punters debate ideas and Q&As full of discussion – proving that the collaborative aspect of cinema is still thriving.

The death of cinema makes for a neat headline. But on a rainy Friday night in London, with a queue curling around corners and audiences debating the last film on the steps of a Leicester Square venue, it feels less like an ending and more like stubborn, joyful persistence.

Cinema is still very much alive and kicking.

Written by Freya Starr | Cover photo credit: Samuel Regan-Asante