The Hyland Cinema: London’s nostalgic taste of retro film

Cinemas and films changed over the years. Bright high-definition screens, over-powering sound, and theatres that seat hundreds at a time have become the new norm.

This wasn’t always the case though, with theatres previously designed to have a more homey and casual vibe, rather than being more business and corporate focused.

Some businesses are still looking to recapture that nostalgic magic.

“Hyland is London’s art and international cinema and we’ve been here 20 years. Now, kind of a retro feel, we’re the oldest cinema left in London,” said Moira Adlan, owner of the Hyland Cinema.

The Hyland has become its own category in London for movies and cinema, working to set itself apart from the likes of larger chains like Cineplex and Landmark.

“It’s a single screen and we still have traditional seating,” Adlan said. “It’s kind of the charm of the place too, to have kind of a different look and feel. It just feels like an old-fashioned cinema.”

The changes go all the way down to the way they design their experience, ranging from the concessions offered, to the films shown, all the way to their audio.

“It’s kind of like listening to analog sound and then listening to digital sound, there’s just a different feel and warmth with the different medium. Plus, we also really have a lot of fun going retro.”

One of the biggest things that set the Hyland apart though is their attention to more niche films, working to get the rights to various classic movies. This allows them to have themed evenings spanning from holiday movies to interactive classics, as well as horror.

“We do a lot of horror stuff, older horror. We do that once a month and then we do a retro-mania once a month as well. We pick the films that we think are the most appealing from The Big Lebowski to Kill Bill.”

“Even though cinemas have changed over the years, with larger chains bound to control much of people’s regular movie-going experiences in the future, it might be worth it to give the Hyland a try for your next free evening, date night, or a new family tradition you could make going forward.”

Adlan went on to say that many people never got the chance to see some of these films when they first came out, or they were even too young to have had the chance. She said that the Hyland gives them the opportunity to feel that retro theatre magic.

“There’s whole generations that have never seen their favourite films on the big screen, so they’ll come see films from the 80s or films they might have grown up with on VHS or DVD, so it’s kind of cool to come and see your favourite film on the big screen.”

On top of showing both new and classic movies, the Hyland also gives some screen time to local artists as well.

“We’re sort of committed to independent filmmakers locally too,” Adlan said. “We like to do a lot of premieres for independent filmmakers, so that they have a chance to see their films on the big screen.”

She added that, with the focus on local work, a lot of the heart and soul of the theatre is centred around the sense of community that comes with it.

“We’re definitely more community-based too, we like to get involved in community and joint activities. We just did a silent film with a live accompaniment by a pianist and we had 300 seated out of 400. It’s a really great experience if you haven’t seen a silent film with live piano, it’s pretty cool.”

At the end of the day though, Adlan said they just want everyone to have fun.

“We did E.T. for the kids and we had a backdrop with the moon,” Adlan said. “We do try to do lots of little fun things, like we did Godzilla New Year too, with a Godzilla countdown too. So yeah, we try to make the events really fun and we do interactives too where you can come and talk along with the film or yell at it.”

Even though cinemas have changed over the years, with larger chains bound to control much of people’s regular movie-going experiences in the future, it might be worth it to give the Hyland a try for your next free evening, date night, or a new family tradition you could make going forward.

Hyland Cinema is located at 240 Wharncliffe Rd. S., and you can find showtimes and ticket information at hylandcinema.com.