Cinema may kill itself trying to remain relevant, but independent cinemas with interesting programming and a love of film are among the best ways of prioritising the art itself and the community’s engagement with it. The Ultimate Picture Palace (UPP), the only fully independent cinema in Oxford, is a prime example of such an institution.

Since 1911, the UPP has stood at the intersection of Jeune Street and Cowley Road in Oxford, and frequently offers programming not found in the other cinematic spaces in the city. Although rich in cinema offerings, with Picturehouse, Curzon, Vue and Odeon all running venues inside Oxford’s city boundary, it’s not unusual to find UPP with a unique offering.

The cinema is currently under threat, as so many independent cinemas in the UK are and have been. Although the UPP excels in programming and community support, it has been planning improvements to its facilities, access, sound quality, and energy efficiency. To secure permission and funding for the long-term improvements they seek, the UPP requires a long-term lease. Their landlord, Oriel College, the Oxford college that owns the building and land, is unwilling to grant one because plans for new graduate accommodation include the grounds of the UPP.

Part of the appeal of cinema is the community that builds around it. The nature of that community has changed greatly since the UPP opened its doors in 1911, but preservation and evolution of spaces like it are vital for the continued survival of the collective experience. If longstanding institutions such as The Arts Picturehouse in Cambridge, the Filmhouse in Edinburgh, and The Prince Charles Cinema in London come under threat or disappear, then the UK will be a poorer cultural destination. The UPP belongs firmly in this category: institutions whose challenges are no reflection of their worth or community appeal.

The UPP is now in the middle of a campaign to demonstrate to Oriel College the support and appreciation the UPP has in Oxford and further afield. Please consider visiting the campaign site to help, sharing this piece or the cinema’s campaign on social media, or visiting the cinema (at the time of writing, their future programme contains many independent films with positive reviews in the pages of TAKE ONE).

If cinema is to survive as a community experience, we need to value and protect places like the Ultimate Picture Palace.

— Visit the campaign website: https://savetheupp.com/

— Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-ultimate-picture-palace

— Become a member of the UPP: https://uppcinema.com/become-a-member/

Disclosure: Jim is one of approximately 1,200 shareholders in The Ultimate Picture Palace Community Cinema Limited, following a fundraising initiative to take the business into the community ownership in 2022.