With lockdown ending on 2 December, we had hoped that our cinema would be back open in time for Christmas. Like many others we worked incredibly hard to make our venue as safe as possible, so it’s disappointing to see our doors shuttered again, when cinema means so much to so many.

This time of year, we’d usually be preparing to welcome families and friends for mulled wine, mince pies and It’s A Wonderful Life. It’s the ultimate Christmas classic, which is why we screen it every year; it’s become something of a tradition for us. I have a feeling though, that with it’s themes of hope (and battling a lack of it) and making sacrifices for your community, that it would have a particular weight in 2020. It teaches us to value the past, and not lose hope for the future.

With that in mind, we can be optimistic about when we will be able to reopen. While locked down, our brains have been ticking away, thinking about the wonderful programmes we’ll be able to share. I’ve been getting particularly nostalgic about our Thursday morning Early Doors screenings, and all the familiar faces I haven’t seen for months. I’m excited to get back to Q&As too, welcoming guests from around the world and picking their creative brains, learning more about the processes behind the films I’ve loved. Our Film Studies and Philosophy programmes will also be back; run by Sheffield’s two universities, these are richly layered deep dives into specific topics, they’re unmissable for film lovers old and young.

So, whilst I’m sad our doors are closed, I’m looking to what 2021 might promise - for me, it’s lots of time in darkened rooms with a flickering projector. If you are looking forward to similar things, or have loved ones that might be, our gift vouchers are a way gift something that looks to the future, whilst supporting us through closure. I’ve never been a great lover of giving vouchers, but after the year we’ve had, I would love a gift that nodded to a time when we might be able to get back to doing special things that we love. For a family member under 26, a £20 voucher will get them 4 cinema tickets, with change for popcorn - a fun evening out for friends that haven’t seen each other in months. £40 could be exchanged for our Take Two offer - a pair of cinema tickets, two main courses and a bottle of wine - perfect for the lovebirds in your life who haven’t been on a date in months. The film studies courses I mention above each run for eight weeks, and would be perfect for a difficult-to-buy-for film lover,. They’re priced at £32 for those under 26, £50 for concessions or £65 for adults. In recent years, we’ve explored many of cinema’s greats including Costa Gavras, Kelly Reichardt and Guillermo Del Toro, and delved into 70s sci-fi, cult musicals and hardboiled adaptations. Before lockdown, we were beginning to piece together seasons journeying into food on film, and the wonders of South Korean cinema.

Vouchers can be used for a whole host of future wonders beyond what I’ve mentioned above, so whoever you’re struggling to buy for, we’ll have something to offer them when our doors are back open, and we’ll welcome them with big smiles.

Find out more about our gift vouchers.

This article first featured in the Sheffield Telegraph on Thursday 3 December 2020.