Published on Monday 26 October 2020

Showroom Cinema has been awarded £536,449 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help with the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. The fund was set up to support organisations that have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis to stay afloat and provide them with support over a six-month period.

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 award arrives at a crucial financial tipping point for the Showroom Cinema. The culmination of a six month closure, the costs of reopening and a 75% reduction in cinema seat capacity have severely depleted the reserves that were in place.

Ian Wild, CEO of Showroom Workstation said: “We are extremely delighted to receive this vital funding which enables us to remain open during these difficult times. We are grateful to DCMS, HM Treasury and the British Film Institute for supporting us.”

“Our team have worked incredibly hard to ensure we reopened safely after six months of closure during the pandemic. This funding will allow us to plan our next six months and look forward to continuing to present a diverse range of independent, foreign-language, documentary and archive films to Sheffield audiences.”

Brendan Moffett, Chair of Board of Trustees at Showroom Workstation said: “The Cultural Recovery Funding is received with immense gratitude. With this, we can navigate the next six months – it safeguards jobs for longer and helps us to protect the Showroom Cinema which plays a pivotal role in Sheffield’s culture scene.”