Published on Friday 19 November 2021

More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country, including Showroom Cinema in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

Showroom Cinema in Sheffield has been awarded a grant of £442,657 by the British Film Institute. Today's announcement brings the total offered to the cinema from this fund to £1,154,022 over the last eighteen months.

The third round of funding will support organisations from all corners of the sector as they deal with ongoing reopening challenges, ensuring they can thrive in better times ahead.

As a registered charity and Sheffield's only independently programmed cinema, the Showroom Cinema has played an integral role in championing diverse and rich film from across the world for 25 years and is a cultural hub for the city's community.

This specific round of funding will help the cinema to keep the building open over the winter period, maintain and employ new staff to support its Christmas offer and continue to carry out its outreach and community work. The grant will also allow further improvements to be made to the cinema’s 1930s building to help increase accessibility for visitors.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

“Culture is for everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone, no matter who they are and where they’re from.

“Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.”

Over £1.2 billion has already been awarded from the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, supporting around 5,000 individual organisations and sites across the country ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.

Ian Wild, CEO of Showroom Cinema in Sheffield, said:

"We are incredibly grateful to receive this third grant from the Culture Recovery Fund and would like to thank the BFI and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for their help. The last eighteen months have been incredibly challenging for us. The funding, alongside continued support from our loyal audience, is the only reason we are still open.

"We have loved being able to welcome back audiences as they return to the cinema and are grateful we can continue to inspire our local community, develop young talent and champion independent film across South Yorkshire."

Brendan Moffett, Chair of Board of Trustees at Showroom Workstation, said:

“Since reopening in May, we have welcomed thousands of people back into our cinema, whilst slowly and safely taking a cautious and staggered approach to increase our screen capacity. We still have many measures in place to maintain the safety of audiences and team, and are currently working to 75% capacity.

“This summer, we were delighted to restart our parent and baby, senior screenings, and subtitled screenings for D/deaf audiences. Last month was our busiest yet as we welcomed back a sold-out Celluloid Screams Horror Film Festival, London Film Festival, a special programme of screenings for Black History Month, and the UK Green Film Festival.With an exciting Christmas programme about to be announced, we are proud to be playing our part in Sheffield's inspiring culture scene.”

Ben Roberts, Chief Executive, BFI said:

“Traditionally, this time of year brings a wealth of culture to the big screen for people up and down the country as local cinemas offer seasonal classics, and new British films and blockbusters. The Culture Recovery Fund has been vital to the survival and recovery of independent cinemas, enabling them to contribute to their high streets and communities, and crucially be there to welcome back their audiences.”

Read about Round 1 of the Cultural Recovery Fund.

Read about Round 2 of the Cultural Recovery Fund.

Find out more about supporting Showroom Cinema here.

Find out more about Showroom Cinema’s safety measures here.