The brand new Hackney Picturehouse Cinema opens today

Picturehouse Cinemas, who have cinemas in Greenwich and Clapham too, have opened the brand new Hackney Picturehouse on Mare Street today.

Located in the old Ocean nightclub building, the new Hackney Picturehouse has been re-developed to create 4 state-of-the-art auditoria equipped with luxury seating and the best digital, 3D and satellite technology.

The old auditorium's floor has been lowered to give the main screen exceptional sight lines and the biggest screen in the group. The three smaller screens each have a distinct shape and atmosphere, dictated by the imaginative conversion of the old building.  

The is a street-level cafe-bar called The Kitchen, which will be open every day from breakfast until supper and will be open for advance cinema and event tickets. 

There are free Wi-Fi hotspots and meeting "cubicles" in the Hackney Picturehouse too. Six small offices at the top of the building will be made available on 6-month affordable lets for new creative businesses. 

Owners, City Screen believe the new life for the building will make a big contribution to the facilities in the area and will make Hackney an ever more vibrant place to live and work. 

One of three bars in the venue, The Hackney Attic also opens today. The bar will host a broad range of live music and comedy nights, and will be run very much on the lines of the successful Upstairs at the Ritzy bar at sister cinema, The Ritzy in Brixton. 

The cinema is the first venue to serve London Fields Brewery beer, including the specially created Hackney Picturehouse Pale Ale.

Lyn Goleby, Managing Director of City Screen and Picturehouse Cinemas said: "We have been overwhelmed by the support of the local community both through the countless messages of excitement and encouragement on the Hackney Picturehouse Facebook page, our Twitter feed and in person at our stall at the Broadway Market over these past few months. 

"This excitement is borne out by the large volume of pre-opening Founder Memberships that have been bought – over 1000 - exceeding those of any cinema we have opened before. We very much hope local people and Londoners will get a real buzz from this remarkable building, and we will work hard to provide the area with a rich mix of mainstream and specialised film, music and other locally centred activity."

Opening films from 28th October include The Help, Tintin 3D, The Ides of March and We Need To Talk About Kevin. There will be a core of arthouse films running through the cinema, complemented by the best in mainstream cinema. 

Pricing is still being confirmed but an element of family friendly pricing is planned. There will be strong concessions for the elderly and unemployed. Find out more about the Hackney Picturehouse Membership scheme too, which costs £30 annually.