Cinema of the Year supported by Kia
BIFA is proud to announce its very first Cinema of the Year award, supported by Kia and voted for by cinemagoers.
Nothing is quite like the communal experience of watching a film on the big screen and we want to celebrate the special cinemas around the country that are at the heart of their communities, bringing audiences together and championing independent film.
Kia has been championing independent cinema and their communities since 2022, As a proud supporter of independent cinema and the screening of independent films, like BIFA, Kia is championing diverse and compelling stories that reach the big screen. That’s why this year, Kia is proud to elevate their commitment to independent cinemas by partnering with BIFA on the first Cinema of the Year Award. This exciting new award will allow local communities to celebrate their favourite cinemas by getting behind them and voting for them to win this prestigious award celebrating the UK’s best independent cinema.
Cinemas nationwide are invited to enter, telling us why their cinema is so special. Voting amongst cinemagoers will open on 22 August and close on 22 September. A jury will then select the nominees and winner, taking into account audience votes and the cinemas’ submissions.
Five nominees will be announced on 3 November along with the rest of the nominees for BIFA 2025 and cinemagoers can vote from 3 to 25 November to decide the winner.
KEY DATES
| 31 July | Entry deadline put your cinema forward for the award before this date |
| 22 August to 22 September | Audience vote to decide the nominees |
| 3 November | Nominees announced |
| 3 to 25 November | Audience vote to decide the winner |
| 30 December | Award ceremony and winner announcement |
ELIGIBILITY
BIFA is all about championing independent film, so we are restricting entry to the category to those cinemas which programme a range of films that includes independent titles. Otherwise there are no restrictions on eligibility.
ENTRY
The entry form will ask you a series of questions about your cinema so that you can tell us what makes it special. The jury who decide the nominations will read these submissions and use them as part of their decision making, alongside the audience votes.
PROMOTION
BIFA will provide all cinemas that have entered with a digital and print media pack to promote your participation in Cinema of the Year and to make it easy to engage with your audiences and encourage them to vote. BIFA and Kia will also be promoting voting and cinemagoing with a campaign running from late August to early December.
VOTING
Voting will be via the BIFA website – links and QR codes will be provided. Audiences will be able to either simply vote, or leave a comment for the jury about why they love your cinema. We’ll ask for voters’ permission to share these comments with you for you to use in your marketing and we’ll use the best of them in our campaign too.
You are free to incentivise audiences to vote, with comp tickets or other rewards.
NOMINEES
The five nominees will receive a media pack to announce and promote their nomination, which will also be publicised and promoted by BIFA and Kia.
We also plan to make a short video about each nominated cinema, for sharing on all our and your channels, celebrating your venue and the people who make it special
WINNER
Once nominees are announced, voting opens again to decide the winner. This time it’s all down to audience votes and the winner will be announced at the BIFA ceremony on 30 November.
Why enter the Cinema of the Year Award?
An opportunity to engage with audiences and encourage them to actively support your cinema through the public vote
Be part of the BIFA and Kia nationwide social campaign championing and promoting cinemas and cinemagoing, with high quality and adaptable marketing assets
Nominees and winners will be featured on BIFA and Kia social channels with bespoke content boosted by paid media
Incentivise staff by celebrating their hard work in your communications to audiences to encourage them to vote
CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR CINEMA
FAQs
My cinema only has one screen and is in a village! How can I compete for an audience-voted award against a big cinema in a city?
We’re not only counting audience votes – we will also weight those votes, taking into account the size of your cinema and of the local population. The jury who decide the nominations will also read what you have told us about what makes your cinema special and that will be part of their decision making.
My cinema doesn’t have social media/our audience aren’t on social media, can I still participate and how can I get my audience involved?
Yes, absolutely! We will be providing print and digital materials for you to use inside your cinema and on your screens to tell your audience about your participation in the Cinema of the Year. We will also provide artwork that can be used in existing magazines and newsletters. Voting is online but the website is very simple to use and doesn’t require a complicated login process or for voters to hand over any data.