A new, queer-focussed cinema opens in London this month.
The Arzner in Bermondsey Square opens on 20 February 2025, and will focus on screening LGBTQ+ films. Among the first to be shown at the 48-seat cinema are Tomboy, A French film about a 10-year-old gender non-conforming child; Olivia Colman/Emma Stone lesbian period piece The Favourite; and dark posho-addled comedy Saltburn. There's also an outing for musical classic Meet Me in St Louis, starring gay community icon Judy Garland.
Tickets will cost in the region of £15 per film, with a £25 monthly membership available. (Get in before 28 February, and that membership includes four cinema tickets per month rather than two.) A cafe and cocktail bar will also be on site.
Taking over from the site of the Kino Cinema, which closed in 2023, the Arzner is the vision of pub owners Simon Burke and Piers Greenlees. Says Simon: "We’re excited to bring our experience, expertise and film background to the Arzner to create more queer spaces in the area. We're delighted for this to be a fully accessible venue too, which is critical to ensuring people have equal access to entertainment spaces."
As for the cinema's name; that takes its cue from golden age Hollywood director Dorothy Arzner, an openly queer filmmaker at a time when this was almost unheard of.
The Arzner, Bermondsey Square, open from 20 February 2025, tickets and memberships available now.
