Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre

Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre is a charitable cinema and cultural venue in Leicester, England. It combines a multi-screen cinema with an art gallery, digital exhibition facilities, creative production spaces, education programmes, public events and a Café Bar. Its programme spans independent, international and experimental films alongside mainstream releases, including Hollywood titles, and the venue regularly supports festivals, screenings with special guests and other film-related events. The organisation traces its institutional history to 1989, although its Leicester venue history reaches back further. Phoenix began as the Phoenix Theatre on Upper Brown Street in 1963 and later developed into the Phoenix Arts Centre. Over time, its role expanded from film exhibition into a broader programme of visual art, digital culture, participation and creative education. The organisation has maintained strong links with De Montfort University, reflecting Leicester’s wider digital-media and creative-industries ecosystem. The current venue was developed as Phoenix Square, a major regeneration and cultural project in Leicester’s city centre. Construction began in November 2007 on a scheme reported at £21.5 million, and the completed building officially opened on 19 November 2009. The new facility replaced the earlier Phoenix Arts Centre and provided four modern cinema screens, a smaller screen room, learning and production areas, a digital exhibition space, a terrace room and rooftop bar facilities. It also incorporated accommodation for creative businesses and a public Café Bar. The venue has subsequently been referred to by the Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre name, while Phoenix Square remains an important historical and location reference. Phoenix’s operating model combines earned income from cinema admissions and hospitality with its charitable and cultural mission. Mainstream screenings and the Café Bar help support activities intended to widen access to film and art, develop emerging talent and encourage people to make as well as watch films. Its education work includes short courses and practical opportunities for participants to learn about filmmaking and create their own productions. Its exhibition programme presents changing work by local and international artists, with a particular connection to digital and contemporary practice. The organisation positions itself as an accessible, community-oriented arts institution rather than solely as a commercial cinema. Its programming allows audiences to move between popular entertainment, specialist film, contemporary art, learning and social activity within one venue. Phoenix therefore serves several overlapping roles in Leicester: an independent and mainstream cinema, an arts centre, a creative-learning provider, a platform for artists and filmmakers, and a gathering place supported by hospitality facilities.

Phoenix’s history is rooted in Leicester’s long-running independent and cultural cinema tradition. The venue began as the Phoenix Theatre on Upper Brown Street in 1963. Its institutional development later led to the Phoenix Arts Centre, broadening the organisation’s role beyond conventional film exhibition and establishing a platform for arts activity, specialist film and community participation. The organisation was established in 1989 as a charity with an aim of making inspiring film and art available to all. That charitable purpose shaped its subsequent development. Alongside showing films, Phoenix supported artistic development, widening access to cinema and providing educational opportunities for people interested in understanding and making films. Its relationship with De Montfort University also connected the venue to Leicester’s higher-education, digital-media and creative-technology communities. A major transformation came with the creation of Phoenix Square in Leicester city centre. Construction of the £21.5 million development began in November 2007. The project was completed in autumn 2009, and Phoenix Square officially opened on 19 November 2009. The new building replaced the Phoenix Arts Centre and provided a substantially expanded cultural infrastructure: four cinema screens, a smaller screening room, a digital exhibition space, learning areas, digital production facilities, a terrace room and rooftop bar facilities. It also made space available for creative businesses and included a public Café Bar. The Phoenix Square building enabled the organisation to operate as a mixed cultural and creative venue. Its cinema programme could accommodate both small independent productions and major commercial releases, while its exhibition programme presented changing work by artists from Leicester and elsewhere. The education programme added short courses and practical filmmaking activity, helping participants develop skills in film appreciation and production. Festivals and special events further extended the venue’s role as a place for shared cultural experiences. Phoenix’s business and charitable model is based partly on using the income generated by mainstream cinema admissions and hospitality to support less commercial activities. This allows the organisation to combine popular programming with specialist films, artist development, educational work and efforts to broaden participation. The Café Bar and other social spaces also make the venue more than a screening facility, encouraging regular public use throughout the day. Although the venue was formerly known as Phoenix Square and has also been associated with the name Leicester Digital Media Centre, Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre is the organisation’s current public identity. Its continuing role is to connect cinema, visual art, digital production, learning and community access in a Leicester city-centre setting.

• 2009

  Phoenix Square opens

  [1]Phoenix Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The completed building officially opens on 19 November 2009, replacing the Phoenix Arts Centre with expanded cinema, exhibition, learning and creative-production facilities.

• 2007

  Phoenix Square construction begins

  [1]Phoenix Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Work starts on the Phoenix Square development in Leicester city centre, a reported £21.5 million cultural and creative-industry project.

• 1989

  Phoenix is established as a charity

  [1]Phoenix Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Phoenix is established as a charitable organisation focused on widening access to film and art, supporting emerging talent and providing creative education.

• 1963

  Phoenix begins as the Phoenix Theatre

  [1]Phoenix Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation’s venue history begins with the Phoenix Theatre on Upper Brown Street in Leicester.

A charitable, accessible cultural venue that combines independent and mainstream cinema with contemporary art, digital culture, creative learning and community participation.

• Film exhibition

  Cinema programme

  Phoenix operates a four-screen cinema presenting a broad range of films. Its programme includes micro-budget and independent productions, international and specialist cinema, festivals and special events, as well as selected mainstream and Hollywood releases. This combination supports the organisation’s charitable mission by pairing accessible popular screenings with culturally distinctive work.

• Visual arts

  Art and digital exhibition programme

  The centre presents regularly changing exhibitions by local and international artists. Its facilities include a digital exhibition space, reflecting Phoenix’s connection to digital culture and creative technology. The programme broadens the venue’s offer beyond cinema and gives audiences access to contemporary and media-based artistic practice.

• Creative education

  Education and filmmaking courses

  Phoenix provides educational activity designed to help participants understand film and develop practical filmmaking skills. Short courses and related learning opportunities can involve creating films as well as studying them, supporting access, participation and the development of emerging creative talent.

• Cultural events

  Festivals and special events

  The venue hosts festivals, special screenings and other cultural events that bring together film audiences, artists, filmmakers and community participants. These events supplement the regular cinema schedule and provide opportunities for themed programming, discussion and shared cultural activity.

• Hospitality

  Café Bar

  Phoenix’s public Café Bar is part of the venue’s mixed cultural model. It provides a social and hospitality setting for cinema visitors and other users, while income from the operation contributes to the organisation’s wider charitable and artistic activities.

• 2007

  Development of a larger cultural and creative venueStrategy

  Background

  The earlier Phoenix Arts Centre was replaced through the development of a larger city-centre facility intended to combine cinema, visual art, digital production, learning and creative-business space.

  Action taken

  Construction of Phoenix Square began in November 2007 as part of a reported £21.5 million scheme.

  Aftermath

  The completed building opened in November 2009 with four cinema screens, exhibition and production facilities, learning spaces, hospitality areas and accommodation for creative businesses.

  Source

1. 1Phoenix Squareen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centrephoenix.org.uk