Is the London art cinema scene in crisis?

A mood of doom and gloom has descended over the London film scene this month. As Time Out exclusively reported last December, the Barbican Centre has confirmed that it will close two of its three existing cinemas at the end of March and is unlikely to reopen them until 2012. More critically, the future of the two cinemas at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) on The Mall also hangs in the balance as the 63-year-old cultural mainstay undergoes a top-to-bottom shake-up prompted by recessionary debt and the need to cut as many as 16 jobs. The Barbican’s two smaller screens – known as Barbican 2 and 3 – will close in March. The closure relates to the development of flats in the housing estate above the cinemas: last year, tests revealed levels of sound pollution judged to be unacceptable to tenants in Frobisher Crescent, a new development of luxury apartments. Last week a spokesperson for the Barbican reassured Time Out that there are plans to open two replacement screens by early ...  more