Just because the blockbusters have abandoned the UK cinema industry, it doesn’t mean everyone has: meet the companies still willing to put their movies into the world.
Understandably, much of the conversation about cinema at the moment concerns the films that aren’t being released in cinemas. Tentpole blockbusters have been delayed, and the narrative reads that there’s nothing to watch on the big screen at the moment.
Yet that’s not the case. Whilst major, traditional studios aren’t risking their films on the big screen at the moment, braver, more nimble companies are going the other way. Thus, with cinemas in the UK slowly opening, it’s been left to companies such as Vertigo and Altitude to bring new releases to the big screen. They’ve very much picked up the mantle.
Playing around the UK at the moment are Black Water: Abyss and Stage Mother from Altitude, for instance, with Rocks finally on its way too. Russell Crowe headlines Unhinged, that opens at the end of the month as well.
Vertigo, meanwhile, is releasing Ghost Of War this month, Saint Frances, Infamous and The Vigil.
Picturehouse, meanwhile, has Proxima this month.
Distributors such as Signature, Studio Soho and Munro too are scheduling films into August. Thus, whilst there’s a lot of discussion about what’s not playing in cinemas, there are still lots of new films that are. They may not have Roman numerals in the title, but they’re still worth considering.
Cinema schedules are clearly unusual for this time of year, and it’ll be a while until they get anywhere close to being again. But also, at a time when Hollywood appears to have abandoned cinema at the point the industry needs it to the most, at the very least it’s worth saluting the companies who are in the metaphorical trenches, and continuing to push their new films.
