I love film. I consider my love of film bordering on an addiction. There is nothing quite like sitting down for 2 hours and losing yourself in an engaging plot, interesting character developments, beautiful cinematography or captivating original scores. So luckily for me, over the last five years there has been a cinema revolution in London. Many companies have begun creating alternative cinemas, where they rejuvenate the magic of old film classics on an independent big screen. I have been to a couple of these events before including ‘Rooftop Cinema’, ‘Secret Cinema’ and ‘Film4 at Somerset House’. The atmosphere has always been great and so, for the festive holidays I went in search of another event to cure my addiction.

‘The Backyard Cinema Club’ is a themed cinema theatre, which means they decorate both the entrance and the screen itself in a chosen idea. At this time of year it was ‘Winter Night Garden’. Each day of the month they select a different Christmas classic, our choice was ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’, because I am in love with the music and animation, it’s one of my all-time favourites. My first suggestion is that if you are travelling into London from elsewhere, give yourself enough time to get there. Do not do what we did and slowly watch the time tick away in a traffic jam, which meant we had to run from the carpark to the cinema, missing the first 10 minutes of the film and sweating profusely in our bean bags. Yes, they did have bean bags to sit on. The entrance to the screen was especially wonderful, you pass through a wardrobe filled with fur coats, inspired by Narnia, and then walk down a forest pathway until the screen opens up into a wonderland. The whole screen was decorated with snowy trees, moss and a wood chip covered floor to create the illusion of a winter forest. The room is also equipped with a bar so if you are peckish or thirsty, you can grab snacks and a drink at any time in the film. The atmosphere was magic.

The cinema entrance was inside an industrial unit that had been set up with food stalls galore. I came under the impression that the owner either was Italian or had a fondness of it because all the stalls were Italian inspired from pasta to gelato. Now I have to take a moment to talk about the gelato. It was the first time I had tasted authentic Italian ice-cream and it did not disappoint. The flavours I chose were, milk and mint, dark chocolate and mango and it was so good that I had to get a second scoops. Just outside the unit was an Italian supermarket also, and it felt like a food lovers dream. The shop was incredibly rustic and again, everything felt authentic. There were shelves full of curled pasta and herb infused sauces with giant rolls of cheese piled high on either side. In the end, because I was tempted with everything, I settled for pistachio salami. I would definitely return to this cinema for both the atmosphere and the food, it’s also within walking distance of Elephant and Castle tube station, which makes it very accessible.

Where: Close to Elephant and Castle Station, Central London

When: Constant

Opening Times: Choose specific film screenings

For More Information Visit: http://www.backyardcinema.com