Broadway Cinema

Broadway Cinema is an independent cinema and registered charity based in Nottingham’s Hockley district, within the city’s Creative Quarter. It operates as a not-for-profit cultural organisation whose cinema, café bar and creative workspace support a wider mission: encouraging creativity and cultivating a lifelong interest in film. The venue is known for combining independent British cinema, international film, documentary, repertory programming and selected Hollywood releases rather than functioning solely as a commercial multiplex. The present organisation opened in 1990, although its building and institutional roots are considerably older. The Broad Street premises were originally constructed in the nineteenth century as a Wesleyan chapel, later becoming a co-operative education centre that hosted music, dance and film. The cinema tradition developed through Nottingham Film Theatre, a BFI-supported regional film theatre opened in 1966, and through the city’s film societies, media organisations and experimental cinema initiatives. These strands eventually converged in the Nottingham Media Centre project, which secured the Broad Street building and created the organisation now known as Broadway. Broadway expanded substantially through a redevelopment completed in October 2006. Supported by National Lottery and Arts Council England funding, the approximately £6 million project created a four-screen cinema and associated public and creative spaces. One of the screens was designed by Nottingham-born fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, giving the venue a distinctive local connection. Broadway later invested £390,000 of its own resources in a 2019 refurbishment, improving seating, sound, hearing loops and digital projection. In 2020, Arts Council England awarded the organisation £499,744 through the National Lottery-funded Small Capital programme for further improvements to sustainability, the terrace, foyer and bars. Broadway’s programme ranges from first-run independent and world cinema to classic-film seasons, filmmaker events, themed retrospectives, immersive marathons and overnight screenings. It has hosted Mayhem Film Festival, a weekend horror event that brings filmmakers and audiences to Nottingham, and historically ran Shots in the Dark, a crime and thriller festival associated with visitors including Quentin Tarantino, Sam Fuller and John Woo. The venue also hosts special programmes linked to community celebrations, including Nottingham Pride, which it has supported with screenings and live events since 1997. Its cultural role extends beyond exhibition. Broadway is the lead organisation for Film Hub Midlands, working with Flatpack Projects within the BFI Film Audience Network to support film exhibition, audience development, funding and training across the Midlands. It is also home to Near Now, an arts-and-technology programme funded as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation since 2014. The building has provided working space for filmmakers and production companies, including Wellington Films, and has been associated with filmmakers such as Jeanie Finlay and Shane Meadows. Audience access and community participation are central to the organisation’s operating model. Broadway offers captioned screenings, relaxed and adapted sessions for neurodivergent audiences, Cosy Club events and reduced-price or Pay What You Can screenings for selected programmes. It also delivers film education, including the BFI Film Academy Short Course for young people aged 16–19 in the East Midlands. Environmental initiatives have included reducing single-use plastics, adopting compostable packaging, improving waste separation and measuring emissions through Julie’s Bicycle tools. The venue attracts approximately 200,000 visitors annually, according to reference material, and remains one of the United Kingdom’s prominent independent cinemas.

Broadway’s current identity emerged from several decades of cultural and institutional development in Nottingham. The Broad Street building was constructed in 1839 as a large Wesleyan chapel. It later served changing community needs, including use of its basement as a wartime British Restaurant in 1941. The chapel closed in 1954 after declining congregation numbers and substantial maintenance requirements. Following redevelopment, the building reopened in 1959 as the Co-operative Education Centre. Its facilities supported music, dance and cinema, with performance activity in the Rainbow Rooms and a cinema on the upper floor. The Nottingham Film Society used the cinema for international and archive screenings and developed relationships with the British Film Institute. In 1966, the Nottingham Film Theatre opened as one of the early BFI-supported Regional Film Theatres in Britain, establishing a regular programme of film exhibition. Nottingham’s film culture broadened during the 1970s. East Midlands Arts appointed a film officer in 1974, while the Independent Film Makers Association’s East Midlands branch promoted accessible filmmaking. Local film organisations adopted contextual programming, presenting films alongside talks, publications and themed events. The Midland Group’s New Cinema provided a smaller venue for experimental work and became part of the network that later fed into Broadway. In 1984, artists, academics, councils and film societies began meeting to develop a Nottingham media centre in response to BFI proposals. The Nottingham Media Centre Consortium published a plan in 1985 that advocated a community-led organisation combining media production, exhibition and education. The BFI supported further development in 1986, and related digital-arts initiatives joined the wider project. After the Midland Group closed in 1987, the New Cinema and Nottingham Film Theatre merged into City Lights, a full-time cinema programme. The consortium secured the Co-operative Education Centre building in 1988 with support from Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and the BFI. The organisation registered as Nottingham Media Centre Limited, a charitable not-for-profit company. The building was named Broadway in 1989, and Adrian Wootton became its first director. Broadway opened to the public on 31 August 1990, with Enemies: A Love Story reported as its first screening. During the 1990s and 2000s, Broadway developed a reputation for adventurous film programming and filmmaker engagement. It ran Shots in the Dark, a crime and thriller festival, and hosted notable guests including Quentin Tarantino, Sam Fuller and John Woo. Tarantino visited in 1992 and 1993, and Broadway hosted the UK premiere of Pulp Fiction in 1993 following the film’s Cannes screening. The venue also established long-running links with Nottingham Pride and with regional filmmakers. A major redevelopment completed in October 2006 expanded Broadway to four screens and modernised its public and creative facilities. The project was supported by the National Lottery and Arts Council England and cost approximately £6 million. The Paul Smith Screen was designed in collaboration with Sir Paul Smith and became a defining feature of the venue. Broadway subsequently strengthened its regional role by leading Film Hub Midlands and hosting Near Now, an arts-and-technology programme funded by Arts Council England. Recent work has emphasised comfort, accessibility, sustainability and participation. The 2019 refurbishment upgraded seating, sound, hearing assistance and projection. Further capital work was supported by Arts Council England in 2020. Broadway continues to operate as a charitable cultural venue, presenting cinema alongside festivals, education, creative development, community events and support for filmmakers.

• 2020

  Further capital funding awarded

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Arts Council England provided £499,744 for additional refurbishment and sustainability work.

• 2019

  Cinema refurbishment

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Broadway upgraded seating, sound, hearing loops and projection across the venue.

• 2014

  Near Now becomes a National Portfolio Organisation

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Near Now, Broadway’s arts-and-technology programme, received Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation support.

• 2006

  Four-screen redevelopment completed

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  A major redevelopment expanded Broadway to four screens, including the Paul Smith Screen.

• 1997

  Nottingham Pride support begins

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  Broadway began its continuing programme of support for Nottingham Pride through screenings and live events.

• 1990

  Broadway opens

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema opened on 31 August with Enemies: A Love Story as its first reported screening.

• 1988

  Nottingham Media Centre secures the building

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The consortium obtained the Broad Street premises with public and BFI support.

• 1966

  Nottingham Film Theatre opens

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The Nottingham Film Theatre opened as an early BFI-supported Regional Film Theatre.

• 1959

  Building becomes Co-operative Education Centre

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  After redevelopment, the former chapel reopened as a centre for education, music, dance and cinema.

• 1839

  Broad Street chapel constructed

  [1]Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org

  The building that later became Broadway was constructed as a Wesleyan chapel in Nottingham.

Independent, not-for-profit cinema and multidisciplinary film-arts venue focused on independent, international, repertory and community-oriented programming.

• Cinema exhibition · 2006

  Four-screen cinema

  Broadway operates four screens presenting a mix of independent British films, international cinema, documentaries, selected Hollywood releases, classics, repertory titles and event screenings. The venue’s programming is designed around curation and audience development as well as first-run exhibition.

• Cinema screen · 2006

  Paul Smith Screen

  The Paul Smith Screen is a distinctive auditorium created as part of Broadway’s 2006 redevelopment. Associated with Nottingham designer Sir Paul Smith, it uses the designer’s visual identity and remains one of the cinema’s signature spaces.

• Film festival

  Mayhem Film Festival

  Mayhem is an annual weekend horror-film festival hosted at Broadway each October. It presents genre films, attracts audiences from across the United Kingdom and provides opportunities for filmmakers from Britain and elsewhere to meet audiences.

• Film network and audience development

  Film Hub Midlands

  Broadway leads Film Hub Midlands in partnership with Flatpack Projects as part of the BFI Film Audience Network. The initiative supports film exhibition, audience access, training and funding across the Midlands.

• Arts and technology programme · 2014

  Near Now

  Near Now is an arts-and-technology programme based at Broadway. It works with artists and companies to examine how technology shapes everyday life and has received Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation funding since 2014.

• 1997Nottingham Pride programme

  United Kingdom

  Broadway has supported Nottingham Pride with dedicated film screenings and live events during Pride weekend, positioning the cinema as a community and LGBTQ+ cultural venue.

  Outcome. The programme became an ongoing annual relationship rather than a single campaign.

  Source
• Access and inclusive screenings

  United Kingdom

  Broadway provides captioned screenings, adapted sessions for neurodivergent audiences, Cosy Club events and reduced-price access initiatives such as Pay What You Can family matinees and selected screenings.

  Outcome. The measures broaden participation and make regular cinema-going more accessible to disabled, neurodivergent and lower-income audiences.

  Source
• Environmental sustainability programme

  United Kingdom

  The cinema has worked to reduce its environmental impact through changes to packaging, waste separation and carbon measurement using Julie’s Bicycle tools.

  Outcome. Reference material reports a 35% reduction in emissions between 2015–16 and 2024–25.

  Source

• 2020

  Continue refurbishment with sustainability focusStrategy

  Background

  Further capital improvements were needed in public areas and to strengthen environmental performance.

  Action taken

  Broadway accepted Arts Council England capital funding for work on sustainability, the terrace, foyer and bars.

  Aftermath

  The award enabled the next phase of venue improvements.

  Arts Council capital award. £499,744 (2020)

  Source

• 2019

  Invest in audience comfort and technical upgradesStrategy

  Background

  Broadway sought to improve the visitor experience and maintain the technical quality of its four-screen venue.

  Action taken

  It invested £390,000 in seating, sound, hearing loops and 4K projection; Screen 1 seating capacity was reduced to provide wider seats and more legroom.

  Aftermath

  The refurbishment improved auditorium accessibility and comfort, while 268 removed seats were donated to Nottingham Arts Theatre.

  Refurbishment investment. £390,000 (2019)

  Source

• 2006

  Redevelop the venue as a four-screen cultural cinemaStrategy

  Background

  Broadway required expanded facilities to support a broader programme of cinema, events and creative activity.

  Action taken

  The organisation undertook an approximately £6 million redevelopment supported by National Lottery and Arts Council England funding, adding screens and public facilities.

  Aftermath

  The completed venue expanded to four screens and introduced the Paul Smith Screen.

  Redevelopment cost. approximately £6 million (2006)

  Source

1. 1Broadway Cinemaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Broadway Cinema official websitebroadway.org.uk