Showroom Cinema enters BIFA’s Cinema of the Year Award

The independent cinema, which has served Sheffield audiences for 30 years, competes against venues nationwide for a nomination to the inaugural award. 

Showroom Cinema, Sheffield, has entered the British Independent Film Award’s (BIFA) inaugural Cinema of the Year award, supported by Kia.

In July, cinemas nationwide were invited to enter and tell BIFA why their cinema should be celebrated at its annual awards ceremony on Sunday 30 November.

Now, voting amongst cinemagoers has opened and Showroom Cinema is calling on patrons and the local community to secure a nomination and celebrate a stalwart of Sheffield’s independent cultural scene.

Voting can be done on the British Independent Film Award’s website at: www.bifa.film/coty-vote and closes on Monday 22 September 2025. A final five cinemas will be shortlisted, before one is crowned Cinema of the Year.

Showroom’s status as the only independently curated cinema in Sheffield has differentiated it from multiplexes and built a loyal community over three decades.

Home to annual festivals like Celluloid Screams, Sheffield Adventure Film Festival and DocFest, Showroom excels in bringing the best, emerging cinema, across genres and borders, to Sheffield audiences. The current Sheffield Film Festival (a celebration of the steel city on screen) is its latest celebration of local film culture.

Behind the screen, Showroom’s commitment to film education: programming, through BFI and self-funded Young Programmer courses; and production, as one of seven BFI Film Academy Centres for Specialist Education, show the outsized impact that make it a worthy nominee for Cinema of the Year.

Cinemagoers can vote for their cinema at www.bifa.film/coty-vote. Voting closes on Monday 22 September.

Victoria Firth, Chief Executive of Showroom said: “This award is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate independent cinema. We are delighted to enter, especially as this year also marks 30 years of us providing independent film programming and education for Sheffield and South Yorkshire. Since I started in post I've heard so many wonderful stories from people about what Showroom means to them and I hope people will show their love and support by voting for us.”

BIFA directors Amy Gustin and Deena Wallace said: “We’re so excited to announce our first ever audience award with this campaign which champions the role of cinema in independent film, not just what we watch but how and where we experience it. Cinemas are vital spaces for film discovery, access and community and we’re delighted to be able to celebrate them with this new award.”