Hammersmith’s ‘secret’ cinema named best in UK

A community-run cinema, often described as Hammersmith’s best-kept secret, has won a best-in-Britain award.

The movie house inside the POSK Polish Centre in King Street has won the best community cinema accolade at the 51st Film Society of the Year gala, impressing judges with its ‘matchless creativity’. 

“We’re delighted to be recognised for our work to bring the people of Hammersmith & Fulham together, and promote a better understanding between Poles and all other communities in the UK, giving them a voice through the medium of film,” said POSK Cinema co-founder Jakub Krupa.

The award was bestowed by the Cinema for All organisation, formerly known as British Federation of Film Societies, at its annual conference, staged online this year because of pandemic restrictions.  

POSK received the Engholm Prize for Film Society or Community Cinema of the Year, the highest award in Cinema for All’s gift, representing all film societies and community cinemas across the UK.  

Jakub, 30, who sits on the centre’s board, was in no doubt about the significance of the gong. “This is particularly important given the ongoing debates around the future of immigration laws in the UK after Brexit, with almost a million Poles making the UK their home over the last 15 years,” he said. “We are proud to represent them and help tell their story, tackling ignorant stereotypes and showing that we have become fully integrated into British society.”  

The citation referred to POSK’s ‘matchless creativity, dedication to their audiences and the ability to overcome challenges’.