A beloved Icon reopens – and the effort it took to get there

As if the pandemic wasn’t bad enough for cinemas, in October 2022, workers turned up at Edinburgh Filmhouse to find the doors closed, bolted. Overnight, the parent body had gone into administration. One of the UK’s most famous independent cinemas, home to the Edinburgh International Film Festival, was shuttered. 

Community leaders seldom wear capes, but in the wake of Filmhouse’s closure, they did something heroic: they successfully developed a new business model, launched a fundraising campaign, secured a long lease on the building, raised the required funds, did a major renovation of the premises, and built a new organisation to champion the broadest range of cultural cinema in Edinburgh. In June 2025, less than three years after its calamity, Filmhouse reopened to sell-out houses – just in time for the 78th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. 

At Mustard, we love a good cinema opening story. Still, this one is even closer to our hearts as one of the directors of Filmhouse is James Rice, our associate with whom we work closely on cinema development and strategy.

Now that the cinema has been open for a few weeks, we've had the opportunity to discuss with him how to reopen a cinema. 

Can you paint a picture of when inspiration struck and you knew you were going to go for it?

It was quite soon after the place shut; the cinema had been operating for about 40 years and had a not-for-profit mission with the aim of broadening film culture in Edinburgh and fulfilling educational goals. When it closed, there was an immediate, loud public outcry, because a whole community around Filmhouse had been using it or benefiting from it, both recently and over many years. There were grassroots meetings, the Save the Filmhouse group sprang up, and basically lots of energy in the community around Filmhouse. A few of us ended up being at the centre of what was a wider effort, but that community-level energy was vital from start to finish.

It took about a month for us to get going, though, as we were still in shock. It was a very sudden demise for the old place. And, I was keen to help, but I had no idea what to do. But what happened was that we ended up in the pub, predictably. Jenny Leask, a friend who had worked at Filmhouse in years past, was visiting Edinburgh from Shetland. As always, she got everyone out to the pub when she was here. So it was me, Rod White, programmer of Filmhouse and Ginnie Atkinson, who was CEO of EIFF for a long time. We were trying to figure out who would lead the effort to save the cinema, not really thinking it would be us. Everyone agreed something had to be done – it was just unthinkable that Edinburgh would not have a cinema that does that kind of work. There are lots of other great cinemas in Edinburgh, of course, but there is no other site operating so far beyond what’s commercially viable to do and providing an educational facility like that. So the idea germinated that evening in the pub with Jenny, around November. We decided to do something, and David Boyd agreed to join as well, and the next week we met up to get started. 

The building had been put on the market by the administrators, so the first thing we decided to try and do – I mean, it was a pretty wild thing to attempt, looking back on it – was to buy the building by raising £1.5 million through a crowdfunding campaign in two weeks. The sales deadline was very sharp. We didn’t make it, but the effort turned out to be hugely important because it helped give people a focus. 

Filmhouse Campaign

Stage Left, enter community?

Yes, that first crowdfunder helped us in the longer term to demonstrate this kind of depth of community support. Because one thing is certain, regardless of any effort that I might have made, or my immediate colleagues, Filmhouse has only survived because it has this community around it, like there are enough people who know what it is, who value what it does, and who were determined to help. 

People have helped in various ways, including through our first Crowdfunder and the second, which was a more long-term effort that has raised significant funds for the capital campaign. You know, people who've been willing to put their hand in their pocket and help out that way, but also people who've volunteered time, people at the stakeholder level, who've been motivated by the grassroots outcry and by the community, by the letter writing and by the support they see through the fundraising.

City of Edinburgh Council have been great, Screen Scotland has been absolutely, unbelievably supportive – but they’ve done it because they could see the community support was there. If there had been no noise going on, no stamping of feet and saying ‘we need this place back’, then there would have been less of a case to make. 

So, you were able to show credibility for the project?

We needed to demonstrate credibility. Filmhouse is not-for-profit – that’s the only way you can do the things it does – but it doesn’t just live on handouts. Public subsidy helps it push boundaries, but it's a relatively small proportion of turnover; the cinema has to operate as a business. We had to show our business modelling, understanding the market, etc. – but a key part of the viability case was showing community support. You can put all kinds of numbers together and show that it works in theory. Still, if there isn't real evidence of serious want for it among the people who will use it, then, you know, it's less compelling. But in our case, thankfully, there was that interest. 

And that's come through in the last couple of weeks, just since we opened with lots of sellouts, which has been wonderful. All that stuff people did – volunteering, writing letters, donating – all looks as though it has translated into actual customer engagement. 

The business case underlying it matters a whole lot, though. This was where my experience working with Mustard, on business modelling and viability assessment for a bunch of other cinemas, proved enormously valuable. There’s no way I could have done what I’ve done for Filmhouse in the last few years if I hadn’t left my role there in 2019 and gone to work with INDY and then with Mustard. It’s not just the technical skills, but also just getting into different perspectives on how – and why – you’d run an independent cinema and what it can look like as a business operation. I think also a lot of what I’ve learned from Kate and Mandy and other Mustard colleagues about the hospitality side of things, and how you can think about cinema food and bev in a more joined up way, really helped me contribute to expressing what we wanted the new Filmhouse to become as a venue, or a place – I mean, looking beyond the programming range per se, which is central.

It actually feels relatively quick from closing to reopening the cinema. Does it feel like it?

It feels like it's taken an absolute eternity!

To begin with, we had unrealistic hopes or expectations about how soon things might develop. The thing is, after the first Crowdfunder fell short, there was a period of genuine, deep uncertainty about whether anything would ever come off, or what else we might be able to do, because they were concluding the sale of the building. We didn't know who was going to buy it, or had bought it, so there was this whole period of months where the outlook was highly uncertain.

And frankly, at that point, it was doubtful that anything would happen. So many things have had to go right for Filmhouse to re-open; some of them were within our control, but many of them were not. And thankfully, many of them went right. We found out who owned the building, and they were willing to speak with us. It took a long time to negotiate the lease, which is not a trivial thing to conclude; it's a 25-year commercial lease with an option to renew. We signed the lease last summer, but we’d already been working closely with the architect and designers to get everything lined up and ready to press go as soon as possible so that we could open the building with minimum delay. 

For a while we hoped to reopen in October 2024, marking the two-year anniversary of the venue's closure, but that turned out to be totally unrealistic. And then we thought maybe we can be open by Christmas. Nope…

This sounds like an episode of Grand Designs…

With hindsight, there was quite a lot we didn’t know that we didn’t know. We’ve all got heaps of high level professional experience in different aspects of running cinemas, film exhibition and so forth. None of the four of us had previous experience with a project quite like this, though, let alone a capital project at this scale. We were really in the wilderness and had to find our way home. So it was good to get that experience. It's fair to say that we all learned a lot. We opened in June, but part of the project was to create a small fourth screen. And then there is the work in the non-public areas, such as the offices, which we will let out to like-minded companies who are involved in film or working with cinema in some way. We like this idea because it will create a cluster of people doing film-related work. 

It didn’t take longer than we wanted through anyone’s fault, though. The architect and the QS have been great. The contractors have been really good. It's just so complicated because the contractors have all these different subcontractors, and then the sequences where this thing can only happen once that thing’s done, layer upon layer of it, and on it goes. It was hard to make it as fast as we wanted. But that’s fine. We're glad to be open now. We're in time to be a venue for this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival, which is marvellous. Even the new Screen 4 will be ready by then. It's a significant milestone.

It’s a testament to the Famous Five (James, Rod, Ginnie, David and Mike) that you got this done. It's not a small undertaking

We were very fortunate in Edinburgh, because there happened to be a group of people with different, but complementary, skills. So in most areas at least one person could contribute. And then also, we were lucky, because we've all known each other for years, and although the process has not been stress-free, sometimes you can cope better with it if you’re working with people who really know you. 

Part of the team (L to R) James Rice, Ginnie Atkinson, Steven Bradley Croall, Rod White, Andrew Simpson

Edinburgh prides itself on being a cultural capital and rightly so, but there wasn’t another cinema quite like Filmhouse, and we were motivated by that; so I guess we had to see it through to the bitter end, whatever that ended up meaning. 

There are other people out there dreaming about renovating a cinema or doing it right now, any advice?

I’d preface this by saying every situation is different, and Filmhouse is quite an unusual sort of project given its very particular cultural mission. Still, at a fundamental level, opening a cinema anywhere is hard work.  People should have crystal clarity about why they are bringing the cinema back and why they are personally doing it, as it's likely to turn out an awful lot harder or more work than you realise it's going to be. 

We had no money and no track record, apart from as individuals (we set up a brand new entity to be the new Filmhouse). We faced long periods of deep uncertainty, which was hard to deal with. However, in our case, we genuinely and strongly believed in what we were doing. We had that crystal clarity on our purpose and our values, and that gave us motivation. We could very reasonably have given up, and with no shame. But that central belief allowed us to persevere. 

Also, although I was fortunate to be in a position where I could organise my workload, I’ve pretty much missed holidays and weekends for a few years, doing unpaid work on top of my day jobs. If you get involved in anything like this, be sure you know why you’re doing it. 

Ok, so next question, and this is not just an excuse for a picture of Jack Lowden (inserts picture of Jack Lowden), but what do high-profile patrons add to the cause?

Jack Lowden + Charlotte Wells

We knew Jack came to Filmhouse before, and he went and did a stonking great speech on saving Filmhouse at the 2022 Scottish BAFTAs. That was brilliant, and helped kickstart awareness. So when we came to the second round of crowdfunding, we wanted to try and get these video statements from well-known faces who could say why they thought it was important that Filmhouse should be revived. 

Jack was the first one to do it and gave a typically hilarious, engaging video about open the doors, which was our campaign slogan. The phrase originally came out of a community focus group – big thanks to all our focus group participants and other volunteers! Jack’s video opened the gates for more people to create videos and post content, leading back to a critical point: demonstrating credibility. There was a need for all kinds of advocacy at a political level. It’s all very well that we’d demonstrated our business model and purpose and vision, etc. But if, on top of that, all these high-profile people like Paul Laverty and Emma Thompson are coming on board, then it completes the picture. 

We were a recipient of a major capital grant from the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund, part of Levelling Up, which gave us £1.5 million in capital development funding. That was a total a game-changer, but to secure it we had to prove community support. We could show all the comments from our crowdfunders, all the protests, speeches and meetings that happened spontaneously at a grassroots level, and all the film festivals that were impacted by the loss of Filmhouse. Then you add serious people like Jack lowden, and Ewan Bremner and our other patron Charlotte Wells, who came through a youth filmmaking scheme at Filmhouse (SKAMM) – and they’re  speaking so warmly of their experience, and so are great young Scottish filmmakers like Ruth Paxton and Matt Pinder, who used to work at Filmhouse. All this adds profile and resonance, and strengthens the case.

And for people who don’t know Filmhouse, now that you’re open, what should they expect?

Well, the main point is that audiences can expect a much more varied, diverse and eclectic programme of films than anywhere else in Edinburgh. We don’t usually use the term Cinémathque, but we want to be able to show films from all over of the world, from the whole history of cinema, as well as the most exciting new releases. The programme is bursting with themed seasons and film festivals and retrospectives and live events. 

We’ve retained analogue projection facilities – so we’ve got a 16mm projector, twin 35mm, twin 70mm projectors. This means we can show films that might only be available on these legacy formats, or which might be shown to their very best effect that way. 

Sacred Bonds presented by Edinburgh International Film Festival 2025 at Filmhouse

We have lots of filmmaker visits and appearances, and seasons introduced by experts, and we work with numerous film festivals and other outside partners who bring their special interest audiences with them. And we have a whole other line of activity in Learning & Engagement – maybe less visible to someone visiting casually, but it’s at the core of what Filmhouse does, working with schools and others to help people, young and old, learn about films and filmmaking.

One thing that’s become increasingly clear to me is the importance of a space that serves as a gathering place. We’ve got a great bar and café where you can enjoy lunch or dinner, grab a drink or coffee, or meet friends before or after the film – even if you’re not watching one. So, beyond the programme, Filmhouse is really about providing a place for film and a great environment to socialise around and about films, and to learn. 

And in our Bar, we’ve got local beers, local food and drink, vegan and gluten-free, so we’re trying to cater for everyone without making it super pricey. 

Whatever you’re doing at Filmhouse, you can be sure you’ll get a warm welcome. 

Filmhouse is on Lothian Road in Edinburgh. https://www.filmhouse.org.uk/

Reimagining Cinema -A New Partnership Between Mustard Studio and CinemaNext

Mustard Studio has teamed up with CinemaNext to tackle some of the pressing challenges facing smaller cinema operators today. Together, they’re offering fresh, innovative solutions aimed at boosting audience engagement and ensuring business sustainability.

CinemaNext, well-known across the UK, EMEA, and North America for its expertise in cinema development and project management, is bringing its technical know-how to the table. This collaboration with Mustard Studio combines creative marketing with a solid understanding of cinema operations—creating a comprehensive approach to revitalising the cinema experience.

Jordan Bedding, head of CinemaNext UK & Ireland, shares his enthusiasm for the partnership: “Working with Mustard Studio is a big step forward for the UK cinema industry. By merging our technical expertise with their creative strategies for audience engagement, we’re providing cinema operators with a complete toolkit to not just survive, but truly thrive in today’s challenging market. This partnership is set to play a vital role in shaping the future of cinema experiences across the UK.”

The past few years have been tough for cinemas, especially for those that hadn’t invested in their customer experience before the pandemic. Many are now struggling to attract audiences back. Coupled with rising utility and labour costs, it’s created a perfect storm of challenges for independent operators. A recent report from the Independent Cinema Office (ICO) revealed that 61% of respondents fear they won’t meet their income targets this year. Even more concerning, 76% predict a drop in admissions, and 87% have identified increasing their audiences as their top priority for the next three years.

The partnership between Mustard Studio and CinemaNext comes at a crucial time. Both organisations share a commitment to finding solutions and building a brighter future for cinema. Together, they aim to strengthen the foundations for both emerging and established operators in the industry.

What’s on Offer?

This collaboration will roll out a range of services tailored to meet the diverse needs of cinema operators:

Multi-Purpose Auditorium Development
Recognising the importance of versatility, the partnership will help transform traditional cinema spaces into multi-use venues. These revamped spaces can host everything from comedy shows and acoustic music sets to poetry slams, DJ events, and even gaming nights.

Tiered Service Packages
Operators can choose from three different service levels, from off-the-shelf solutions to bespoke, comprehensive plans. Each package will integrate technical specifications with audience engagement and marketing strategies.

Support for Local Authorities and Developers
The partnership aims to assist in defining specifications that make new cinema spaces attractive to potential operators, ensuring that local communities benefit as well.

Comprehensive Services for Solo Operators
New cinema operators will receive a cohesive proposal covering everything from technical aspects to branding, audience development, and strategic business planning.

Ultimately, this partnership seeks to equip cinema operators with the tools they need to flourish in an ever-evolving industry. With fresh ideas and a focus on community engagement, Mustard Studio and CinemaNext are paving the way for a vibrant future in cinema.

For more details, get in touch with us at info@mustardstudio.co.uk. 

Mustard Studio and Cinema Next will attend the  Hotel & Innovation Expo at London’s Excel Centre on 15 + 16 October 2024 and are on Stand L32. Come and see us. 

Community Building. Nice to say. Hard to do.

4-mins read time

Entry Sign at Walthamstow Trades Hall. 

Suppose you want to know one thing about film distribution: it's hard. It always has been, but since the pandemic (STP), it's become tougher. Some cinemas, not all, are still struggling to attract audiences, and audiences themselves have changed. This is especially true for certain kinds of films, such as those mid-level, tougher arthouse dramas, which find it more challenging to reach the audience via traditional cinema channels. So, to add to the lexicon of audience development, Mustard Studio works on community-building projects. 

One film we’ve been working on for Modern Films was GREEN BORDER. A ‘punch to the solar plexus’ is how the Guardian’s 4-star review described it. A film that shows the refugee crisis in modern-day Europe, where people are used as political pawns as they struggle to get to their end destination. Part of that distribution approach was taking the film to non-traditional spaces, maybe a multiplex cinema rather than an independent venue, church, or community group. 

As one half of Mustard, this is how I found myself organising a screening at the Trades Hall in my local borough in London. Now, the Trades Hall is a pretty unique and awesome venue. Some of the events in September alone included Wanita, female DJs on vinyl, Poems Not Bombs Group, and Stoned on Love ‘the 1st third-wave indie and rock and roll club’. They have an eclectic events schedule and are plugged into the local community. It's a great place to host a screening, and they thought so, offering their venue for free because, alongside all the events, you’ll see posters dotted around the bar with a ‘refugees welcome’ slogan. 

Venue - check.

Venues are not always the challenge. Its audiences.

Flyer for screening and questions menu for post-screening chat

We’ve done plenty of GREEN BORDER screenings across the country, and mobilising an audience to see a film they know from the outset will probably be bleak sets a challenge. Does this mean films like this shouldn’t get distribution beyond festival outings? How do you support films culturally?  Support from the BFI Audiences Fund and the Polish Film Institute made community screenings possible for this film.

They can only work if you have a network on the ground. For Walthamstow, that included local hero Liza Fletcher, who runs the Walthamstow International Film Festival and creates networking events for local creatives and who knows everyone. Also, Stow Film Lounge programming curatorially innovative films across the borough and beyond and who oversaw the set-up for the night, bringing in a screen and leading a faultless technical experience. Liza introduced me to a local charity, Stories and Supper, which is committed to changing the narrative about migration and people could donate money to them on the night. This core group creates a network; messages are exchanged, emails are sent, and articles are published. All of these require a set of assets that may differ from the original release assets; more curated, targeted, and specific. 

When part of your strategy is ‘community building’, do not mistake it for one newsletter or e-blast. It's detailed and more time-consuming. We’ve worked on media campaigns where the designer makes the ad, the media buyer books it, and then you lift a finger to send the email to supply it (sometimes you can even cut out the finger and get the designer to supply it directly); so all the activity that surrounds grassroots is deep and layered. 

Which brings me to my final point. The flyering. Flyering in my local community. I’m up for that, I thought, with a nonchalant shrug despite the fact that the last time I did it was probably around 1990. I’m no rookie, though; I had my blu-tak and my pins but not, as it turns out, sellotape, which was also required.  On the day, I did need an umbrella, which I wouldn’t recommend. 

There aren’t quite as many shops willing to put something on display as you think, especially if they think it might be controversial (the film attracted a lot of attention in Poland, for example), so I ended up walking up and down streets looking for cafes and shops that already took flyers. A big shout out to Charlie at the library, who put the flyer on the notice board in the town square. One shop owner scrutinised the flyer and looked at me ‘I’m not a refugee’, he said as he walked over to his corkboard, ‘but anything that brings us together is good’, which made me feel a little bit warm inside, despite the fact I was mostly wet. 

Despite it feeling like a lot of work to deliver a screening locally, without the usual cinema infrastructure, working within your community and meeting people who want to support the film because of the subject matter and because they want to make a difference is why many people like me got into the industry in the first place. It reminds you of your first love when you go to the cinema and see a film and want to tell everyone about it. It's rewarding, and it's meaningful. At the time of writing, we had 83 sign-ups and a final head count of around 75, which is pretty good, and local press pieces, including a wider one about the power of community of film. 

Pre-screening Buzz. 

If you want to know more about how people reacted and how to strategise for community building, then drop us a line at info@mustardstudio.co.uk

Is the future…arthouse cinema?

We talk to two people about how they developed their taste.

The UK Cinema Association held its annual conference in March 2024 and asked a panel from the charity Into Film to discuss their cinema and film habits. Into Film is a UK charity that uses film and cinema to create learning experiences. There weren’t any expectations about what the panel would talk about, but it took an untypical direction, as all the panellists started talking about the films and cinemas they liked.  They were all unexpectedly indie, and maybe even… dare we suggest… arthouse.  Alongside evidence of under 30s watching more challenging films in cinemas, we were intrigued and invited two of the original guests, Noa Friesen and Thomas Deakin, for a more in-depth conversation. 

Noa is from St Albans and is studying French, Spanish and English Literature A Level. Her favourite cinema is her local, the Odyssey in St Albans, where they show rep cinema, and she goes to the cinema monthly. 

Thomas is in 6th form at Cambridge and studies English Literature, German and History. He goes to the cinema 1-2 times a month and usually goes to the Cambridge Arts Picture House or BFI Southbank.

Mustard: What was the last film you saw at the cinema, and who did you go with? Was it good?

N - Mine was completely unplanned. I was in Liverpool for Easter, and it was raining non-stop, windy non-stop. So we went to the cinema with my younger sisters (age 12 + 8) and my mum, and we went to see Kung Fu Panda 4.  It was pretty good but I’d say the second one is my favourite. I usually go to the cinema with my dad, he is a cinephile, as my sisters and mum aren’t super super into film. We usually go on a Wednesday evening. It was my dad that took me to see my first foreign language film in a cinema environment. It was La Haine which was showing at the Odyssey. That kicked off my passion, and it's now one of my favourite movies. I definitely trust my parent’s recommendations. My dad also showed me The Big Lebowski, (the ultimate dad movie), hilarious, classic, timeless. It's bonding. 

T - Mine was Civil War. I went by myself to celebrate finishing my first A-level. The film was alright, but it was a good experience; the screen was big. I almost always go by myself or with my parents. I occasionally go with friends. They like films, but they don’t like like films the way I do. Actually I’ve been recommending films to my dad, as my taste grows. For example, he thinks The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is one of Sergio Leone’s worst and I think it's one of the best. I’ve also introduced him to Celine and Julie Go Boating, he was expressionless for most of it, but at the end, he turned to me and said it was excellent. But my mum introduced me to Studio Ghibli, I recently rewatched My Neighbour Totoro and I think it's one of the best kids' movies that is equally important for adults. It's about imagination and the whimsy of being a child. 

Not your typical combo.

Mustard: On the panel, you were asked how you choose what you watch. I was struck that you said trailers and bus sides, which are all pretty typical for any generation. I was expecting more peer-to-peer on TikTok, for example. How much does social media play into film choice?

T - I don’t have TikTok or use reels. I think I’m a little old-fashioned. If I use social media, I’ll use it as an aide. I think you need external advertising to help with visibility. But I like how MUBI use social media; their campaign for Priscilla, for example, was great.

N - I’m the exact opposite of Thomas. I use social media all the time. I’ve actually had to remove TikTok from my phone. I follow about 2,000 people and use it for everything. If someone I’m following recommends a film, I’ll add it to Letterboxd. I follow cinemonica and Hideo Kojima (the video game designer who created Metal Gear); if he talks about a film, I’ll make a note because although he’s not a film critic, I trust his judgement. 

Mustard: How long is your Letterboxd list?

T - 3,000

N - 300

Mustard: Does that give either of you any anxiety?

T - No! It gives us hope. 

Q: On the panel there was a cri de couer for more adventurous programming from cinema operators. There are lots of world and rep cinema screenings that don’t get wide audiences, what could we do to improve visibility and access from your perspective?

T - Just integrate rep into the standard programme more, like The Light Cinema is doing and how Prince Charles has been doing it, treating films as if they are new. (The Light Cinemas has introduced strands of rep cinema into their monthly programmes)

N - You need to advertise it as a new modern film. It makes rep cinema more accessible and popular. When I saw the trailer for After Hours, it immediately made me want to see the film. There’s not so much knowledge about rep cinema because all the current films get all the attention, so it's about seeing it more on social media and talking about it more. It needs developing on social channels.

“it’s not normal people vs. cinephiles” Noa

Mustard: How do you feel about marketers grouping generational behaviour? I.e ‘this is a Gen Z film, etc’.

T - I can understand why it happens, but it oversimplifies taste and is reductionist. It doesn’t actually develop film taste, and advertising should be more inclusive. 

N - When advertising is targeted specifically at only one type, then it cuts you off from wanting to explore other kinds of film types and genres. It shouldn’t be normal people vs cinephiles. It's a mixture. 

Mustard: Recently, industry reports have discussed the rise of audiences under 25 finding arthouse cinema. Does that chime with your experiences?

T - Everything, Everywhere All at Once was an example of that. It's not even my kind of film, but the acclaim it got and the awards really showed how it could connect. I talk about Arthouse Revolution, for me, the pandemic was a catalyst for discovering cinema. I set a target of watching 100 animated films in a year and did it in five months. The pandemic was good because it helped people discover and refine their cinema tastes. It's good to see arthouse companies doing so well. 

N - There is also a shift in thinking that film is not just for entertainment but spreads some really important social messages, and in analysing film, giving it the same attention that we do with art or literature.  I was really surprised with the success of Past Lives; it's a quiet film, and you’re not spoon-fed information. It makes me happy there are these types of films in my generation, and there will be more of them. 

T- It only received 2 Academy nominations, which shows that the Academy still doesn’t recognise these titles. However, it was no.3 on the Sight + Sound List of the Year. 

N - During the pandemic, I started a film scrapbook with reviews and drawings and also discovered I really liked anime. 

(What follows is a wide-ranging conversation about anime and animated films about a mixture of films, including My Life as a Courgette (N: ‘It almost broke me’); Watership Down (T: That is not a kids film) and Princess Mononoke, a clever allegory of the environment.

Watership Down. Not a kids film.

Mustard: Do you think streaming services are a threat to cinema?

N - I’d be sorry if streaming means fewer cinemagoers, but it isn’t the same experience. You can’t equate the two - it's not a day out.

T -Yes, I think it is. Streaming can be positive, but I don’t want it to diminish the cinema. I hope that streaming and cinema can have a peaceful coexistence. 

Mustard: What is a good ticket price? 

N - £5-£6. 

T - I’d say under £10. 

Mustard: if we want to know one thing you think is vital to your cinema habits, what would it be?

T - Make it a mixture of advertising different films

N - Ticket prices. Teenagers are paying for tickets themselves, not like kids when their parents pay. 

Mustard: Who are your go-to directors?

Said in mutual agreement and adoration: ‘Celine Sciamma’ 

Then:

T - Nolan, but he has probably peaked at Oppenheimer (it's unlikely he will ever read this, so we’re keeping it in); Prediction - Yorgos Lanthamos will win best picture, Sofia Coppola - best director currently, like her style. Celine Song, Daniels, Jane Campion, overdue a massive success… Bong Joon-ho

N - I’m obsessed with Emma Seligman, I watched her short Shiva Baby and then the feature. I found it very relatable. And then Bottoms. And I love Ayo Edebiri, she has a great Letterboxd account. (Thomas nods vigorously in agreement). Sean Baker also has a great account.

T - Can I also just say, Damien Chazelle and that Babylon was not that bad. (also unlikely that he will ever read this, so keeping it in too).

Honourable mentions also go to Rachel Senna, Jayne Sherenburg, Elliot Page, and Hunter Schafer, and more visibility in trans actors.

Mustard: What about British filmmakers?

N - Molly Manning Walker. I saw How to Have Sex and would watch anything she does. 

T - He recently died, but you can see his film Passing Time on YouTube - Terence Davies. 

Mustard: And finally, what will you see at the cinema next?

T - Dune 2 (Noa gasps: ‘You must watch this at the cinema’), Kinds of Kindness and, with some luck, the restoration of Abel Gance’s Napoleon by The Cinematheque Francaise in Paris. 

N - Love Lies Bleeding, Driveaway Dolls

Thanks to Noa and Thomas for their time and for being such great guests. 

April 2024

Podcast

The UNIC - International Union of Cinemas- People Programme is an initiative that 'recognises that the ultimate competitive advantage of any organisation lies in its people'. We couldn't agree more so we were thrilled to be invited to host the second episode in the People Programme series.

Leadership takes many forms; we’re often used to seeing one kind from TV and films. If you are channelling Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street as your alter ego, it may be time to rethink.  The next generation of entrepreneurs and collaborators seeks a more equitable working method. As we stand on the precipice of a divided global world, harmony in the workplace should not be underestimated for a sense of well-being with purpose.

In 2023, Mustard Studio worked with Regent Street Cinema in London to deliver a workshop on their values and brand strategy, followed by some shorter targeted sessions. UNIC invited Mustard and RSC to discuss the process on their newly formed podcast supporting their People Programme.

In the podcast, you can listen to how we went about the project, the objectives and outcomes, and what happens in a values session. The cinema’s approach was refreshingly democratic, bringing their front-of-house staff and the Managing Director, so there was a breadth of voices and experiences around the table.

You can listen to how we went about the project, the objectives and outcomes, and what happens in a values session. The cinema’s approach was refreshingly democratic, bringing their front-of-house staff and the Managing Director, so there was a breadth of voices and experiences around the table.

We are offering podcast listeners the opportunity to 'win' an online brand consultation, which includes a pack of Mustard Studio values cards. All you need to do to win is get in touch via info@mustardstudio.co.uk and let us know what you would like to work on. 

Please email us by April 19th 2024 referencing the UNIC People Programme podcast.

Regent Street Cinema

UNIC People Programme

2023. Listed.

We’ve read all the best film lists and decided to do something a little different with the best list of random categories that we have chosen…

We love a themed evening, and our best party of the year goes to (very apt drumroll) the Everyman Babylon party back in a freezing and damp January in Crystal Palace. Cocktails, burlesque, live music and some very cheeky performers created an immersive experience that was a perfect setting for the film. This might be what audiences are looking for when they say they want more experiences in the cinema.

Babylon Preview + Party at Everyman Crystal Palace

The best film moment of the year arrived in Brixton in June when a short film in homage to Wes Anderson wowed the audiences and, in particular, one mum (Mandy). Asteroid Ritzy written and directed by Noah Kean (Mandy’s son, obvs), starring and crewed by his co-workers at their beloved Ritzy Cinema, is an inventive and fun rollick through a Wes Anderson-inspired day at the cinema when a new employee starts work. Shoutouts particularly to actors Alfred Wales and Barney Pike as the barmen, Monty McDade as Mr McPop, Aurelie Diz for her fabulous production design and of course to Noah for creating this brilliant, comic confection. 

The best in conversation was Greta Gerwig in October when she came to the BFI hosted by Jesse Armstrong. She was utterly delightful, and the audience was enchanted with her, preceding most questions with a declaration of ‘Greta, I love you’. A refreshing Q+A that wasn’t about her ‘vision’ or ‘artistic process’ but a genuinely humble discussion about film, art, women and storytelling that left no audience member behind. 

Greta Gerwig in conversation at the BFI Southbank.

The literary adaptation of the year…has to be Bianca Stitger and Steve Macqueen for Occupied City. The film is out on February 9 2024 and is a chilling documentary based on Stitger’s book, which takes a measured eye to the buildings and streets of Amsterdam and goes behind the door to uncover what happened during World War II. With stories of heroism and treachery, this is one of the most compelling and contemporary pieces of work that links our past with the present. 

Occupied City by Steve McQueen and Bianca Stitger.

Best celebrity spot. Hardly a ‘spot’, but this was pretty eye-boggling when the key cast of The Iron Claw - Zac Efron, Lily James, Harris Dickinson, Jeremy Allen White and director Sean Durkin were in London as part of the promotional tour.  

The Iron Claw Q+A, London.

And finally, the best work moment of the year was during the British Library’s Scale Up for Growth programme, supported by the Arts Council, and hearing established, expert consultants tell us that we’ve got a good thing going on with Mustard.

Sometimes, you just need to be told. 

InventaCinema

This is how most people go to the cinema: enter, buy concessions, go to the screen, sit down and watch. And who can blame them if they don’t consider the cinema build?  Such as what materials were used? How energy-efficient are cinemas? How has cinema design changed? And the answers are usually: brick, not very and not much. 

Until now. 

Because now, there is a new concept for a low-carbon, modular neighbourhood cinema called InventaCinema. This build could revolutionise cinema buildings in the UK because it is a pre-fabricated building with modular components that can scale from a 60-seat to 200 capacity with numerous screens. The kit allows for an entrance foyer, sales points, cafe/bar and back of house. Plus, because of the modular design, it could be used to add to an existing cinema or building and create an additional energy-efficient screen. 

Cinema Architect Stefanie Fischer is the brains behind the concept, and we asked her to tell us more about InventaCinema.

Stefanie Fischer.

Can you talk more about why InventaCinema is needed? Our experience of cinema development is that it is often long, costly (think of any Grand Designs project that goes over budget) and with little energy efficiency in mind.

InventaCinema offers a more affordable approach to providing a cinema than conventional development. This is important, given the slim margins on which many cinemas operate.

InventaCinema could be purchased at an established price and delivered on a turnkey basis. This reduces risk on cost and makes the whole process from inception to completion much more straightforward for clients. This is of particular benefit to first-time and one-off developers of a cinema. The modular and offsite pre-fabrication also reduces programme risk. It sets out to reduce the operating cost of a cinema and, in particular, energy costs. This is critical to the continuing viability and sustainability of neighbourhood cinemas. The renewable energy strategy follows a Mean-Lean-Clean-Green approach.

The cinema auditoria are passively ventilated, removing the need for mechanical ventilation and cooling, which can account for circa 70% of a cinema’s energy use. The structural loads of the floor, wall and roof panels that form the structural envelope are transferred to ground screws rather than conventional concrete foundations. As well as reducing embodied carbon, this creates a void between the floor panels and the ground, which can be used to form a labyrinth through which supply air is drawn. It is attenuated to avoid noise intrusion and heated or cooled using heater batteries before entering the auditorium at a low level. The energy source for the heater batteries is PVs on the cinema's roof; battery storage helps to even out demand. The air is then extracted at a high level and similarly attenuated to avoid noise leakage from the cinema to the neighbourhood.

Are there any cinemas that are already low-energy venues, and what are some of their initiatives?

A trailblazer for sustainable cinemas is Lewes Community Screen at Depot, Lewes. They have shown a strong commitment to sustainability both in the design of the building and its operation. In recognition of this, the cinema won the National Creative Green Award 2020, a National Award for sustainability in the arts that recognises the achievement of the creative community in taking action on climate change. 

Lewes Community Screen is a value-driven organisation. They have appointed a Green Ambassador and invested in staff training. They engage and inspire their audiences with promotions and campaigns. They have developed a Sustainability Plan and Action Plan to address the environmental impact of running a cinema. They promote green transport and display live train and bus times in the foyer. They offer customers locally produced high-quality seasonal food and promote filtered tap water. They have developed a waste management plan.

How has thinking about cinema architecture changed in the last decade?

There has been a trend towards cinemas being more than simply a place to watch films. Newer cinemas are becoming active leisure and social hubs in the neighbourhoods in which they are located. The switch to digital distribution and exhibition has allowed new viable models of small screens to be developed in previously underserved rural, small towns and the periphery of city areas. 

There has been an increased focus on seating comfort standards and sound and image quality.  During my career as a cinema architect, I have replaced the seats up to three times in a given cinema to increase seat centres and seat tier widths as expectations of comfort have changed. It is rare now to install tip-up seats in cinemas and more usual to install ‘Club’ seats, recliners, sofas or armchairs. Because of the growing importance of the food and beverage offered in cinemas, integrating bottle holders and small tables with the seating, rather than just cup holders, has become a key consideration for some operators. There is a much greater focus on inclusivity, including meeting the needs of customers with mobility, visual and aural impairments and accommodating the needs of people with dementia. Sustainability has become a headline consideration for operators, partly because of the energy crisis but also because audiences are increasingly making ethical choices about where to pursue leisure pursuits along with how they travel, what clothes they buy and what they eat and drink. There is much more focus on the customer experience of going to a cinema. 

What can audiences do to help?

Audiences can help in many ways, including:

• supporting their local cinema by choosing to watch films there;

• supporting ethical approaches to developing and operating a cinema that reduces their carbon footprint by choosing to view films in a net zero cinema, choosing to purchase locally sourced food and drink, supporting the availability of filtered tap rather than bottled water, collaborating with a cinema’s recycling and waste management schemes and choosing green forms of transport.

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InventaCinema is a net zero carbon-negative cinema developed through a collaboration between InventaCinema Ltd and Agile Properties and Homes. For more information, go to www.inventacinema.com

Business plans. Painlessly.

Oh man, writing a business plan is hard work. It is a well-known fact that 99.9%* of people put off writing a business plan until the very last moment. You know you're going for a good, weighty piece of work but once completed, may never read it properly again.

Well, we have some good news for you. 

No, we’re not going to write it for you, and no doubt there is already an AI programme out there that will. So maybe check that out. 

Katherine Hepburn with good life/business advice.

But, we do have a way to approach it that we like. So, you can’t get out of writing one because they are necessary; you have to know your business inside and out, and if you’re going for investment, then you need to be able to answer every gnarly question, which you’ll be able to because you put the work into your business plan. 

To help you get there, we suggest breaking it down into chunks; this is where the strategic business vision comes in. We work with many organisations with a long business plan but find that they don’t reflect on it or even refer to it, and we believe that breaking it down can often help the team approach it in a way that will make it more memorable. Sometimes, this can be used for documents outside of the mother business plan and can be helpful to test out projects. 

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PURPOSE - What are your vision, mission and values? These guiding principles for your purpose and help shape the decisions you will make later on.

GOALS - Usually, we work on around four of these to keep the vision on track. Any more than four can feel overwhelming, and the principle idea of an SBV is to make your outcomes manageable.

CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS - Quite simply, what does success look like? If you aim to create better business processes, your critical success factor might be some operational how-to’s. 

STRATEGY FOR ACHIEVING OBJECTIVES - What will make the goals happen? More resources, or if you’re a solopreneur, is it coaching support?

SWOT - Always a good idea to look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

Finally, (nearly there) - KPI and IMPLEMENTATION - What performance indicators help you know you’ve achieved your goal? And what is the timeline for implementation?

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The beauty of SBVs is their ability to be versatile and nimble, which businesses need. Keeping a topline document like this means that you can review it regularly. 

There are lots of examples online for SBVs, and you will find that you can create them for every department, which can also be helpful if you are building up your business with a team of people. 

Good Luck!

*Not a scientifically proven fact. 

I Live in Cinema.

I Live In Cinema - thank you, Agnes Varda, for your wonderful quote. We Live In Cinema too!

KINO WOLF, BERLIN

Berlin has a long cinematic history from the 1920s when it was the scene for film artists such as Fritz Lang and Ernst Lubitsch who created powerful and timeless classics. For a recreation of that time check out Babylon Berlin, the German neo-noir TV series set in the latter years of the Weimar Republic. 

Cool is as cool does. Wolf opened its doors by blending a mix of great films, a cute very Berlin cafe and music events. Founded by Verena Von Stackelberg, it’s also one of the rare cinemas that is run by a woman.

RIO DALSTON, LONDON

The Rio has a rich history stretching back over 112 years.
The original building was an auctioneer's shop owned by a pioneering businesswoman called Clara Ludski. She converted it into one of London's very first cinemas in 1909 and called it the Kingsland Palace of Animated Pictures, this early silent cinema was designed by a young W.E. Trent, who went on to be the in-house architect for Gaumont Cinemas. The new fad for moving pictures proved so popular in Dalston that Clara bought up the properties on each side of the building and commissioned the architect George Coles to design a spectacular purpose-built picturehouse.

No stranger to the Best Cinema in London lists, the Rio is a genuine institution. It’s the kind of place where you end up making friends by watching cult films and then staying up until 2 am to talk about it.

METROGRAPH, NEW YORK

Metrograph NYC, is an independent movie theater opened in 2016 at 7 Ludlow Street focusing on rare archival screenings (35mm and digital), special premieres, and Q&As. Metrograph NYC includes a restaurant, The Commissary, bookstore, and Candy Store.

Loved from afar, we had already fallen for the consistent branding, the sense of purpose, a beautiful Instagram account and the Jack Lemmon salad on the menu but what’s really gotten our attention is the faultless attention to the programme. Their picks are inspired from the classic to the unexpected and obscure. A film lover’s treat. Where do we sign up for Metrograph in London?