New Community Cinema and Café that is waiting to welcome you!
The story of the cinema begins with an empty building on Acton High Street, and a group of local residents - all of whom felt passionately about the fate of the historic Passmore Edwards Old Library. This group campaigned for over four years to return the building back to community use, and in April 2021 the lease was signed with the London Borough of Ealing, and the work began.
A team of over one hundred volunteers leapt into action and helped clear, clean, and paint the building before our contractors moved in to build our first screen. With the operational support of the Rio Cinema in Dalston, ActOne Cinema officially opened on 8th October 2021.
The building remains at the heart of our project - despite its iconic appearance, its status as an Asset of Community Value, its history and its central location, it has not been of any benefit to the community since it closed in 2014. That is, until now!
We have two 60-seat screening rooms fully equipped with the latest digital technology, a beautiful lounge where the children’s library once was, and a café ready to serve you with drinks and snacks to take into the cinema.
Our film programme brings you the latest quality independent films, world cinema, documentaries, film festival screenings and film-maker events, as well as the occasional quality blockbuster. We run weekly parent baby screenings, a kid’s club children’s film every Saturday morning, relaxed screenings for our neurodivergent customers, and monthly classic matinees (with biscuits!) Our second screen allows us to increase the variety and range of our programme, and we are particularly grateful to the Acton BID for their major contribution to its creation – it would not have happened without their support.
The ActOne box office is located in the cinema’s café – where you can find out what’s on and buy your tickets from our welcoming staff. A volunteer in the foyer will point you in the right direction!
The relaxing lounge area, with free Wi-Fi, is there for customers to use when the café is open: 12pm-9pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and 11am-9pm on Tuesday and Saturday. The ground floor is fully accessible, with a ramp at the front of the building; there is wheelchair space in both screens, and a newly-built disabled toilet.
And finally, thank you! ActOne Cinema & Café has been made possible by three successful crowdfunding campaigns - supported by the Mayor of London, Acton BID, the Architectural Heritage Fund, Locality, the National Lottery, the Acton Council Wards, Catalyst Housing, Acton Gardens and, of course, the wonderful residents of Acton and our supporters near and far!
For more information on the history of the Old Library and the team behind the project, you can check out the Acton Arts Project website here.
