Save London’s greenest cinema

London’s prestigious art house cinema Curzon Soho, one of the independent British cinemas which is participating in the UK Cinema Association’s initiative to reduce carbon emissions, is facing an uncertain future. The  City of London’s plans sounds like a colossally stupid move. The flagship art house cinema may be demolished to make way for the £25 billion Crossrail 2 development which is scheduled to start construction in 2020. According to the Transport for London, the cinema site will be used for the entrance into the new Crossrail 2 Station and a ticket hall.

 

CurzonWhen the plan became public in the fall 2015, British actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry, among others, began lobbying against the demolition of the Soho Curzon Cinema.“The plan for the Curzon Cinema, Shaftesbury Avenue, long a beacon of good film programming and live events, to be demolished to make way for a tunnel air vent, is deeply worrying”, remarks Fry who is chairing a campaign to save the Curzon Soho. “The Curzon Soho is a rare gem in the heart of London, showcasing the best in independent and world cinema”, says Cumberbatch.

 

 

,Built in 1912 by the architect Gordon Tait, the Curzon Soho was orignally intended as a sister venue to the Curzon Mayfair. First named the Curzon West End, the acclaimed art house venue is one of eleven cinemas in the Curzon group. “Those of us who want to save Curzon Soho from such a destructive and shameful fate need to fight for its wellbeing right now”, states the Corzon Cinema group. The petition that has been launched to save the cinema has already been signed by more than 32,000 moviegoers. The petition will be emailed to Crossrail developers as well as the Mayor of London.

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