Lumiere, in the Mercury Shopping Centre, is in the running to become the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) Cinema of the Year alongside more than 130 other venues around the country.
The awards are new for this year and encourage cinemagoers to vote for their favourite independent cinema until September 22.
A jury will then select five nominees by November 3, followed by an audience vote to decide the winner until November 25.
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In a post on its Facebook page, Lumiere celebrated being shortlisted only five months after opening.
The post said: “We might not be your regular cinema, or even your favourite, but we’d really appreciate your support.
“A vote for Lumiere gives hope to hundreds of shuttered cinemas across the UK it shows there doesn’t need to be a big corporate vehicle to make a cinema work and that communities can rise up, like we did here in Romford and save their beloved picture houses.
“We’ve made our way to a list of some of the most impressive cinemas in the UK and one of very few in our region, so please take two minutes out of your day to vote for us and give our community something to be proud of.”
Lumiere is up against other London venues including BFI Southbank, Barbican Cinema and Electric Cinema.
Votes can be cast on the BIFA website at https://www.bifa.film/coty-vote/.
