We’ve got some exciting news to share: UPP has been named one of just 15 cinemas on the longlist for Cinema of the Year at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), supported by Kia UK.

More than 70 cinemas entered the competition, with nearly 50,000 votes cast by cinemagoers across the UK. We’re so proud to make the longlist, and delighted to be in such good company, alongside amazing cinemas including Abbeygate Cinema, Filmhouse in Edinburgh, the Mockingbird Cinema, Penarth Pier Pavilion Cinema, Kinema in the Woods, Penistone Paramount and St Albans Odyssey.

The five finalists will be announced on 3 November, alongside the full BIFA nominations, with the winner revealed at the awards ceremony on 6 December.

Thank you to everyone who voted for UPP. We’ve been reading through well over a thousand nominations, and it’s incredibly heartwarming to see just how much our cinema means to you all.

Thanks, too, to everyone who’s supported us through this difficult year, whether by signing our Save the UPP petition, putting up a poster, buying a membership or simply watching a film with us. It’s all helped make this one of UPP’s best-ever years, and it’s what makes our little corner of Oxford such a special place.

Here’s to independent cinema, our brilliant community, many more memorable moments on the big screen… and perhaps a Cinema of the Year win this December! 🤞