Wednesday 30 November 2011

The UK Jewish Festival coming in November in Phoenix cinema.

           Examen pour le London School of Journalism :
     
     The regular customers in Phoenix cinema are really happy to hear last Sunday a movie festival has been starting in local cinema in East Finchley area. The cinema built in 1910 and opened in 1912, which is so far one of the oldest cinema in Britain, proposes regularly independent, foreign and sometimes famous movies on the only screen they have.
      For the manager of Phoenix, Cassie Birtwistle “it is a really a chance to show movies from different part of the world, to help people to get out of super production. Our target is to promote different kind of movie”. The UK Jewish Festival, which has been founded 15 years ago by the current executer director, Judy Ironside, enters the selection criterion of movies selected by Phoenix. It is one of the fourteen cinema are diffusing the 78 films for this festival from 1st to 20th November.
     According to Cassie Birthwistle : “the good relationship between Phoenix producer and the UK Jewish Festival explains the long time we are collaborating together”. Whereas there are only three festivals per year proposed in Phoenix, the Jewish Festival is selected regularly. A voluntary worker for the festival said “we are diffusing in different place our festival, every time people are really enthusiastic especially in East Finchley. They come to watch something different so the atmosphere is really pleasant. I really like to be volunteer for this festival”.
      If Phoenix chose to promote this festival, it is as well because it is a great success. Phoenix cinema wants more than any to satisfy regular customer which are really close to the staff. For local, Phoenix is clearly a part of East Finchley. Denis Arthur, a 55 years old local said “Phoenix represents really the area of East Finchley, it is a historical part, and I am coming often to watch foreign movies”. Although Monica, the seller in Prime Location in East Finchley, explained “the Phoenix is a part of our area and attracts people, it is a good asset for the business”, she admitted as well she doesn’t go to Phoenix, and doesn’t know about the Jewish Festival. This quote is not a surprise. Young people are indeed less interested by independent and foreign movies. Even if the producers are trying to attract younger by broadcasting recent movie, the priority is to satisfy the regular costumers. This policy reflects in the average age which reaches 51 years old.
      Welcomed this kind of Festival is as well an opportunity to attract people from further away like in Northern London where the Jewish community is large, or in the other part of London. Although the 250 seats of Phoenix are not full, according to Cassie Brithwistle between 100 and 200 tickets are sold per movie. Jewish Festival is every year a great success but since the renovation of Phoenix for the hundred anniversaries, it is much better. They closed indeed the cinema from May 2010 to September 2010 to refresh the building and add a cafĂ© inside. Since the opening, Phoenix knows about 20% more people than the last year. The Jewish Festival in Phoenix is still available from 13th to 17th November, the ticket price is 12 pound per movie.