How a cinema in Romford is returning community to a small town

In August 2024, Romford’s Premiere Cinema faced sudden closure after a strange legal wrangle. This left the local community shocked, as the Premiere had been a cornerstone of the community, offering highly discounted tickets, affordable concessions, and a welcoming atmosphere that local alternatives never had.

It was thanks to this same working-class community, however, that the building was reopened in April 2025, as the cinema saw a collective £43,000 donated by members of the public through crowdfunding.

Now, a year later, the cinema is fully operational and has received a total overhaul in its design, including a new name, “Lumiere”, a reference to the Lumière brothers who invented the first portable camera, in turn revolutionising the world of cinema.

The Lumiere now offers an optional annual membership that reduces ticket and concession prices (beyond its already low prices) and displays the names of all its patrons before each film starts. As the company nears its first anniversary, it already has thousands of members.

Furthermore, the cinema was nominated for the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) Cinema of the Year, only five months into operation.

As London begins to open up more studios and sets for film, it’s important to remember the role of cinemas like the Lumiere in these times. These places act as beacons for small, independent cinema while equally showing old classics that prove why cinema can be so thought-provoking and moving. We simply cannot have these huge sets and multimillion-dollar projects without venues like the Lumiere.

In a world of ever-changing chaos and division, it’s very easy to feel alone, and far easier to feel powerless to the whims of it all. This is precisely why venues like the Lumiere are becoming increasingly important – here it is possible to find kinship in your community, make new connections and be entertained.