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A fragmented collection of closed cinemas in London during lockdown, captured on Super 8mm film.

Cinema Now is currently touring on the UK-Wide & International Film Festival Circuit.

Slideshow consists of a range of film stills from the official film and unit stills photography. (All Credits: Studio Holder)

About The Film

Cinema Now is, first and foremost, a quiet and solemn piece - specifically dedicated to independent cinemas and the people who run (as well as rely on) them.
To put it simply - Cinema Now is a short, observational documentary film (presented in the contemporary 'Direct Cinema' style) and shot entirely on KODAK Vision3 Super 8mm Film. The film depicts closed cinemas from the point of view of passers-by, taking a moments pause and looking patiently at building exteriors and facades.

A range of cinema sites are included, though they all have one thing in common - they are all 'independent' in some way, shape or form, be that their structural/operational model and/or by virtue of their programming. There are many different types of cinemas presented in the documentary - from repurposed former industrial and historic sites to hidden gems and underground meccas. There is no limit to where cinema is found, and this is certainly true of London's thriving film scene which is currently under threat. The documentary also serves to document our cinemas through a historic moment in time, creating a capsule of a turbulent period in all our lives - the COVID-19 pandemic. 

To read more about the film's conception, inspirations, artist manifesto, production process and biographies on the film's collaborators and talent, see the latest version of the Electronic Press Kit (EPK) in the festival & marketing assets section below.

Acknowledgments

The filmmakers would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of all our backers on Indiegogo - largely consisting of friends, family, colleagues and professionals in academia and other educational settings. Also a big thank you for sharing your wisdom, providing guidance and encouraging the film's completion.

The filmmakers would also like to thank the following individuals, companies and organisations:
  • Rob Szeliga - for spending hours on the theatrical (cinema) sound mix, concocting a delicate and multi-faceted music-based soundtrack with a beautiful 5.1 & 2.0 mix. The soundtrack is the thing that really made the film what it is. 
  • Stefania Marangoni - Louis' Tutor and thesis module supervisor on the MA (Masters) degree programme who provided guidance and support throughout the year.
  • Frame24 - for providing and arranging transport of the raw (negative) film stock which we used to film, especially at a time when general supply was limited.
  • Gauge Film - and specifically Kevin Timmins (D.I / 'Chief' Datacine Operator) of the company, who worked immensely hard to provide rush processing and 4K Scan Services. Gauge Film are a small but powerful film operation based just outside of Wolverhampton in The Midlands, UK.
  • London South Bank University (LSBU) - for their recognition and support of the film, and endorsing it for regional awards submission on behalf of the film school.
WHAT IS 'CINEMA NOW'?
To put it straightforwardly; Cinema Now is a short, observational documentary film (shot and presented in the contemporary 'Direct Cinema' style) depicting closed cinemas from the point of view of their exteriors in and amongst the London cityscape. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic thus far, cinemas around the country (and indeed the world) have been closed and left (largely) without government funding or support - depriving audiences of their love for cinema. The film sets out to document cinemas in their current state and aims to provide a meditation on cinema(s) as they currently are - dormant, towering meccas of film that once served (and will again serve) strangers, families and communities.​
HOW HAS 'CINEMA' BEEN APPROACHED?
This is a fundamental question that the filmmakers have asked themselves when developing and making the film. The most important aspect of the film, besides its intentions, is the choice of cinemas which appear in the film.

​The filmmakers want to make it clear that, whilst the film should be perceived (and perform) as a sign of solidarity to all cinemas irrespective of their structure and beliefs - we want to highlight independent cinemas who have either been particularly:
​
  • unsupported - financially or otherwise,
  • unrepresented - in/by the press, media or otherwise,
  • face (or have faced) a very real threat of permanent closure,
  • or a combination of these criteria
​
​Defining the framework in which the film operates within early on in the development phase led the film (and filmmakers) closer to the project's intentions.
​
As a result of analysing each cinema's cultural remit, context within London and more widely and listening to friends, creatives, activists and educators - a shortlist of the cinemas which (are currently being filmed and) will likely feature in the finished film has been defined. The full list of cinemas filmed can be found below by clicking on 'Featured Cinemas'.
AESTHETIC(S) & REFERENCES

​The film is particularly inspired by three moving image pieces which seem to operate on a level somewhere between documentary and fiction. This hybridised mode of filmmaking seems to evoke more truth and authenticity than with their constituent codes and conventions, with Cinema Now in mind. 
​
Homo Sapiens (2016) - billed as ‘documentary’ - Directed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter - Trailer
Manifesto (2015) - billed as ‘experimental, drama’ - Directed by Julian Rosefeldt - Trailer
Last and First Men (2020) - billed as ‘fantasy, mystery’ - Directed by Johann Johannsson - Trailer

Whilst these three key references are all vastly different, they share a range of interesting stylistic and structural principals. The films show stunning images of forgotten places, buildings we constructed and then left. As a result there is a lingering sense of simultaneous melancholy and timelessness. In particular, both Homo Sapiens and Last and First Men offer imagery and sounds of dystopian-like landscapes and urban wastelands: part-consumed by humans and part-reclaimed by nature.​

​Manifesto, assesses and is directly addressed to the viewer, as a kind of call to arms - to act now. The film was selected as a reference as we would like the audience to feel a sense of shared responsibility towards the ongoing issues of cinema who remain (to date) insufficiently supported. Every cinema has a kind of manifesto and all the cinemas shown in our film operate within different frameworks (social, cultural, financial, political...)

These films address humanity and contemporary issues using near otherworldly material and objectives which the filmmakers are very fond of utilising; albeit differently - in Cinema Now.
SHOOTING ON CELLULOID YOU SAY? (A REFLECTION FROM 2021)
​
​Cinema Now is shot entirely on (gloriously nostalgic and dream-like) Super 8mm KODAK Vision3 Motion Picture film stock. Shooting 'on film' is still as popular as it's ever been and not only do we want to be apart of helping raise awareness of cinemas but also the format (and importance) of film and it's beautifully imperfect, inherently organic qualities. 

​Furthermore, shooting on film will create a permanent record of the capital's cinemas during the pandemic. Understanding and overcoming this crisis (together) is crucial so by having this permanent record, we'll be able to reflect on this moment in time in the near and distant future.

Shooting and processing celluloid is a chemical process where patience is required in setting up and framing a shot. Each and every day we are entering into the unknown, and using celluloid as our film's format of choice, is a bit like that. We don't know how the footage will turn out until it's been sent off, processed and scanned at a film laboratory.

The unparalleled aesthetics of film combined with the excitement of (venturing into) the unknown and of what one has shot is ultimately what draws us to use this format.
DIRECTOR BIO

Louis Holder (BFIFA) (Editor, Cinematographer, Director) 
A graduate from the world-renowned Film BA (Hons) course at University of Westminster, Louis is an RTS Award-Winning Filmmaker, whose work has featured at numerous film festivals including BFI Future Film Festival, London Short Film Festival (LSFF), Raindance and UCL Festival of the Moving Image (FoMI). In 2021, he graduated from the MA Editing & Post-Production Course at London South Bank University and is an upcoming Assistant Editor entrant within Film. He has also volunteered for a wide-range of youth screening collectives and community cinemas including award-winning organisations - Westminster Film Society, which he was president of, and Deptford Cinema. Louis is also the Creative Director of Studio Holder, an independent film company integrating post-production, independent film distribution and media education with a focus on contemporary & emergent media. He is a DaVinci Resolve 17 Certified User and is currently taking the Avid Media Composer Certified User (101 & 110) qualifications. Alongside work and many hobbies - he is working towards realising his feature-length documentary debut; Old Suffolk Boy and is directing a spiritual follow-up to the Cinema Now project - 'centred around theatres, their individual and collective interiority and the horror that lies beneath'.

Recent Editorial / Film Credits include: 'Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love' (for BBC) (2019), Three (2022), Hunger (2022), Isabelle(s) (2022), The Long Sleep of Men (2021), Gabriela (2020), Chook Awook (2020), Voyager (2020), Oh Me Lads (2019), Old Suffolk Boys (2018).
CAST & CREW
Director / Cinematographer / Editor - Louis Holder
Producers - Louis Holder + Sandra Tomalka
Executive Producers - Gaye Lockwood, John Holder, Hannah Holder
Sound Design & Music - Rob Szeliga
Production Assistant - Adriana Kytkova
Technical Advisor - Mario Antonio Liptaj
Digital Intermediate (D.I) / Datacine Operator - Kevin Timmins
Film Lab / Processing & 4K Scan Services - Gauge Film Ltd.

Special Thanks - Izzy Palmer, Stefania Marangoni, Michael Healy, Rob Szeliga, Daniel Howard-Baker, Lucy Rogers, Ed Pittman, Daphne Pittman-Rogers, Alexandra Larion, Ben Holt, Ralph Sansum, Ben Douglass, Caroline Chu, Claudia Giancola, Ivan Lo Conte, Philip Kapadia.

Full List of Cast, Crew & Supporters is available by downloading the Final Press Kit & Notes
​or Official Programme Notes resources.
FESTIVALS & AWARDS
(Competition & Non-Competition)
To Be Determined
This information will be updated regularly during the festival/screening circuit.
ALL SCREENINGS
(Non-Competition)
To Be Determined
This information will be updated regularly during the festival/screening circuit.
PRESS & REVIEWS
To Be Determined
​This information will be updated regularly during the festival/screening circuit.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Final Running Time: 14 Minutes

Screening Format(s): 4K/2K DCP, 4K/2K ProRes,
​35mm* (*at select screenings)

Negative Format: Super 8mm, KODAK VISION3 Stocks
Film Camera: Bell. Howell 1239 XL Macro
​with stock f/1.2 7-45mm Lens
Image Resolution: DCI 4K
Aspect Ratio: 4:3 in a DCI 'Flat' / 1.85:1 container
Projection FPS: 24
Sound Mix: 5.1 Theatrical Mix / 2.0 Theatrical or Web Mix

Film Stock Suppliers: Gauge Film / Frame24
Film Stocks Used: KODAK Vision3 50D/7203, 200T/7213, 500T/7219
Processing Chemistry: Eastman Color Negative 2 (ECN-2)
Film Lab Scanner - Custom FilmFabriek Muller HDS+ 4K Archive Film Scanner

Offline Editorial - Avid Media Composer Ultimate 2021
Online Editorial - DaVinci Resolve Studio 17
5.1 / Stereo Sound Editorial & Mix - Avid ProTools HD
QC, DCP & Theatrical Deliverables - Studio Holder
35mm Film Recording / Printing Services - CPC London
MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION ASSETS
Filmmaker's Statement of Intent (Written: Jan 2021) - Audio File
FOLLOW THE FILM ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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