Location
Stoke Film Theatre is at the heart of the Staffordshire University College Road campus, within a five minute walk of Stoke-on-Trent railway station and a five minute bus ride from the town centre.
Building
The single screen, 212-seater auditorium is attached to the university's Flaxman building. During the day it's used by the university media department for large lectures, and by night it's the independently-run Stoke Film Theatre.
Clientele
This cinema is attached, but not affiliated, to the university. Walking by you'd be forgiven for thinking that it's just for student use; however on entering you'll see it's quite the opposite. The majority of the audience are older and regulars; they come here for a chat and a catch-up with friends and the like-minded before seeing a film.
Pricing
The film theatre is run purely by volunteers, which keeps prices low – £5 for normal showings, £4 concessions.
Programme
The Stoke Film Theatre shows blockbusters after their multiplex runs, and arthouse films that wouldn't normally be accessible in the city. You never know what you'll come across and it's definitely worth checking the listings frequently. It also supports the annual Stoke Your Fires film festival, and at the end of the academic year you can see the media production shorts from students at the university.
Further Comments
This is community cinema at it's best. Run by Stokies for Stokies, so it's perhaps no surprise that the drinks are cheap and the films are good quality. Do be aware that there are no adverts and all films start at 7.45, so be prompt!
