Away Days Film Britain's home for cult, indie & festival cinema

Away Days Film

Britain's home for cult, indie & festival cinema

Latest Articles

Gut Feeling Over Data Points: The Indie Cinemas Saying No to the Algorithm
Cinema Guides

Gut Feeling Over Data Points: The Indie Cinemas Saying No to the Algorithm

While streaming giants feed us an endless loop of 'because you watched...' recommendations, a quiet rebellion is brewing in Britain's independent cinemas. Programmers across the country are doubling down on human instinct, championing the kind of inspired, left-field film choices that no dataset could ever predict. We went looking for the people putting their gut on the line — and found a movement.
Behind the Schedule: The Unsung Taste-Makers Deciding What Britain Actually Gets to Watch
Cinema Guides

Behind the Schedule: The Unsung Taste-Makers Deciding What Britain Actually Gets to Watch

Before a single ticket is sold or a trailer plays, someone has already made a dozen quiet decisions about what you'll be watching this season. Britain's independent cinema programmers are the invisible architects of your film-going life — and the choices they make matter far more than most audiences ever realise.
Village Halls and Velvet Seats: How Britain's Film Societies Are Quietly Changing Who Cinema Belongs To
Cinema Guides

Village Halls and Velvet Seats: How Britain's Film Societies Are Quietly Changing Who Cinema Belongs To

Across the UK, in draughty church halls, converted libraries, and suburban community centres, film societies are doing something the multiplexes never could — building genuine, lasting communities around adventurous cinema. We went looking for the people making it happen, and found something that felt a lot like hope.
Static, Stretch Marks and Secrets: Inside Britain's Obsession with Hunting Down Forgotten VHS
Film Festivals

Static, Stretch Marks and Secrets: Inside Britain's Obsession with Hunting Down Forgotten VHS

Before streaming told us what to watch, the charity shop shelf did. A generation of British film obsessives is heading back to tape — not for nostalgia's sake, but because some of the most interesting cinema ever made only exists on a battered cassette in a cardboard box somewhere. We went digging.
The Invisible Restorers: Inside Britain's Underground Network Saving Cult Films from Oblivion
Film Festivals

The Invisible Restorers: Inside Britain's Underground Network Saving Cult Films from Oblivion

Long before a forgotten indie film turns up on a festival programme or gets a surprise theatrical run, somebody — usually underfunded, largely unrecognised and working against the clock — has spent months or years pulling it back from the brink. We map the hidden ecosystem of British film restoration, from university basements to specialist labs, and the remarkable people holding it all together.
Grain, Grit and Defiance: The UK Cinema Rebels Still Running on Celluloid
Cinema Guides

Grain, Grit and Defiance: The UK Cinema Rebels Still Running on Celluloid

While the multiplex world ticked over to digital years ago, a stubborn and passionate network of British indie cinemas never fully let go of the projector reel. We speak to the projectionists, programmers and venue owners who believe film stock isn't just nostalgia — it's the only honest way to screen cult and archive cinema.
After Hours, Underground: How Late-Night Screenings Became British Indie Cinema's Beating Heart
Cinema Guides

After Hours, Underground: How Late-Night Screenings Became British Indie Cinema's Beating Heart

Something strange and wonderful happens when the last bus has gone and the lights go down past midnight. Britain's independent cinemas have quietly turned the unsociable hours into a goldmine of community, cult devotion, and genuinely electric film experiences. We went deep into the late-night circuit to find out why.
Reel Detectives: Meet the People Dragging Forgotten British Cinema Back from the Brink
Film Festivals

Reel Detectives: Meet the People Dragging Forgotten British Cinema Back from the Brink

Somewhere in a climate-controlled vault, a 16mm print of a British film nobody has seen in thirty years is being carefully unwound and assessed for damage. Somewhere else, a programmer is chasing a lead on a negative that may or may not still exist. This is the world of film archaeology — and it's changing what ends up on independent cinema screens across Britain.
Fill the Tank, Load the Map: Britain's Hidden Cinema Gems Worth Driving Hours to See
Cinema Guides

Fill the Tank, Load the Map: Britain's Hidden Cinema Gems Worth Driving Hours to See

Forget multiplex car parks and overpriced nachos. Britain's most extraordinary film experiences are tucked away in market towns, coastal villages, and post-industrial neighbourhoods that most people drive straight through. We've mapped out the routes, found the rooms, and spoken to the people keeping these places alive.
No Distributor, No Problem? How Britain's Grassroots Screens Are Rewriting the Rules for Indie Film
Film Festivals

No Distributor, No Problem? How Britain's Grassroots Screens Are Rewriting the Rules for Indie Film

British independent films are being made in greater numbers than ever — and seen by fewer people than they deserve. But a growing network of community screens, pop-up clubs, and DIY venues is quietly building an alternative infrastructure. We ask whether it's enough, and who it's actually reaching.
From Festival Tent to Cult Throne: How Britain's Film Festivals Keep Launching Tomorrow's Classics
Film Festivals

From Festival Tent to Cult Throne: How Britain's Film Festivals Keep Launching Tomorrow's Classics

The films that eventually become cult classics rarely arrive fully formed. More often, they begin life in a festival queue, championed by a handful of obsessives before the rest of the world catches up. We dig into the British festival circuit to understand why it remains one of the most reliable incubators for the films that matter most.
Pack a Flask and Follow the Signs: Britain's Best Independent Cinemas Worth a Proper Pilgrimage
Cinema Guides

Pack a Flask and Follow the Signs: Britain's Best Independent Cinemas Worth a Proper Pilgrimage

Forget the multiplex. Britain's most characterful independent cinemas are tucked away in market towns, converted chapels, and seaside arcades — and they're showing films you won't find anywhere else. We hit the road to find the venues that make the away day genuinely worth it.