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For the film obsessives and movie nerds, Medway's cosy cult cinema club is the place to be.
The Rochester Kino cinema group organises cult and classic film screenings every month at Sun Pier House, Chatham.
Nick Walker set up the group almost 12 years ago, and comes from a vibrant history of film culture.
He said: “My grandmother used to be a pianist and organist to silent films, and my grandfather used to know Stan Laurel as a kid.
“My mother also used to work in cinemas as an usherette.”
Nick set up the club because he wanted to find like-minded film fans to watch and talk about movies with.
He also wanted the chance to expose people to films outside of the standard multiplex blockbusters.
The cinema mega-fan said: “We’ve got a few younger people in the group, around 18, and they all say this is great for them for that reason.
“They’re getting exposure to films they would not ordinarily see.
“They take a chance on screenings because they trust the program - some of the directors they’ve been exposed to like Luis Buñuel or Akura Kurosawa might initially be a bit outside of their comfort zone.”
In Medway there are only two standard cinemas for film fans to get their celluloid fix - Cineworld in Medway Valley Park and Odeon in Chatham.
For independent films and cinema from around the world, residents would have to travel to the Ashford Picturehouse or even the Gulbenkian at the University of Kent Canterbury campus.
Elsewhere in the county you can find one of the UK's smallest cinemas in Tunbridge Wells, where ex-BBC producer Barry Littlechild converted his garage into a 16-seater screening room.
The Kino cinema club is quite different to your standard cinema affair, with a mishmash of seating which feels more like a busy family gathering in a living room.
Nick said: “It’s a mix of seat with cushions, sofas, comfy armchairs. It’s got a really nice cosy feel to it and the screen comes down from the ceiling, we have surround sound.
“It’s a really nice viewing experience.”
The club relies on a group of similarly film-obsessed people to help run the screenings.
They collectively choose the films, introduce them and encourage discussions after the film screening finishes.
Nick said the spirit of loving movies carries through the club because each volunteer has their own personal relationship with cinema.
He added: “Some were making films on Super 8 as a kid. One has a cinema in his house. That’s what I love about the group - we’re all just so into movies.”
In 2020 the club will screen films such as Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, The Red Shoes by Michael Powell and David Cronenberg’s Videodrome.
Last year they screened Cinema Paradiso, the 1977 horror film Suspiria and science fiction classic Blade Runner among others.
Later this year they are hoping to screen the cult smash Parasite, which has recently been nominated for Best Film at the BAFTAs and Oscars.
To keep up with the latest screenings at Rochester Kino click here
