10 important cinemas every film lover needs to visit

In his Oscars battle cry Anora director Sean Baker called for cinemas to be saved as a ‘vital part of our culture’. Once on every high street, the local picture house/fleapit/movie theatre has buckled under pressure from VHS, malls, developers and streaming, their stories reflecting that of 20th and 21st century culture. But as physical media continues to be re-embraced and we return to that special communal theatrical experience post-Covid, the churches where we worship movies should have their moment in the spotlight.

In my new book, , I chose a hundred picture palaces with tales as compelling as any of the blockbusters they screen; architecturally magnificent, historical footnotes, famous haunts, world firsts and, more often than not, kept running by the passion of movie fans