The Palace Cinema in Broadstairs has been named as one of the top 50 in the UK and Ireland by Time Out magazine.
Listed at number 36, Time Out says of the Grade II listed venue: “Okay, the name is a bit misleading. Broadstairs’s Palace Cinema is not very palatial (it seats just 111 – 23 on the balcony, 88 in the stalls), but it is a great place to see a film.
“It’s on a narrow street leading down to the harbour, and you could walk past its Victorian flint exterior without even clocking it as a picture house. Inside, though, it has all the intimate magic of a screen in Montmartre. This seaside cinema has held its audiences spellbound since 1965,” says writer Chris Waywell
The article adds: The 2018 romcom Juliet, Naked was partly filmed at the Palace. Chris O’Dowd and Rose Byrne’s characters visit to see Lost in Translation.
The top 50 venues were chosen out of a total of 1110 cinemas.
The independent cinema is run by Corinna Downing and Simon Ward. The couple reopened the cinema in June after the long, covid shutdown,
They had originally planned a reopening on October 30 after eight months of covid restriction closures. But on October 31 Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the national lockdown to start on November 5 due to concerns over rising cases of ‘Kent’ variant covid.
The reopening in June was celebrated with a special Q&A event with Bafta-winning hair and make-up designer Nadia Stacey who worked on The Father. The film was also screened.
The couple, who have been at the helm of the Palace since 2016, said: “We’re just delighted to be part of this inspiring list of amazing cinemas; to be rated this highly not just in Kent, not just England, but all UK & Ireland is really something.
“Especially during this challenging time it’s very welcome recognition, not only for us but for everyone who loves and supports Broadstairs’ special little cinema now and has done over the years. Thank you TimeOut Film!”
Find The Palace Cinema website at https://thepalacecinema.co.uk/