Welwyn Garden City's council-run three-screen cinema is on the BIFA Cinema of the Year ballot. Public voting closes Monday 21 September, one vote per email.

Welwyn Garden City’s three-screen cinema at Campus West is on the public ballot for the British Independent Film Awards’ Cinema of the Year, and residents have until Monday 21 September to vote for it.

The cinema is run by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, which announced the entry on 21 August. Voting is at bifa.film/coty-vote.

Councillor Max Holloway, Executive Member for Community and Leisure, said: “Like thousands of residents across Welwyn Hatfield, I love Campus West, it’s a fantastic example of what an independent cinema can offer. It provides an affordable way for people to enjoy the big-screen, and offers something for everyone, from classic films and accessible screenings to the latest blockbusters on release day.”

How the award actually works

Entry closed on 31 July, and every cinema that put itself forward now sits on one ballot. The public vote decides a longlist of 15, announced on Tuesday 13 October. Five nominees are named on Tuesday 3 November. A jury of industry professionals then picks the winner, announced at the awards ceremony at London’s Roundhouse on Sunday 6 December.

Timeline of the BIFA Cinema of the Year award: public voting opened 21 August, closes 21 September, longlist of 15 on 13 October, five nominees on 3 November and the winner announced on 6 December.
The award timetable. Sources: BIFA and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council. Graphic by Welwyn Online.

So nothing is settled in September. The vote feeds the longlist, and Campus West would only be a nominee if it survives to 3 November.

Two of BIFA’s rules matter for a cinema of this size. Votes are weighted by audience size: each cinema’s total is divided by how many people use it in a year to give a percentage score, which is designed to stop city multiplexes swamping smaller venues. The jury also reads what cinemas and voters say about why a venue matters, so the comment box is not decoration.

Other limits are worth knowing before you click:

  • one vote per person, for one cinema only, once per email address
  • votes from outside Great Britain and Northern Ireland are discounted
  • no minimum age to vote
  • voters aged 18 and over can opt into a prize draw, with ten winners getting a year of tickets at their chosen cinema and a drinks hamper
  • there is no way to add a cinema that did not enter

What Campus West runs

The council points to the strands that go beyond new releases:

  • Monday Night Classics
  • Parent and Baby sessions
  • SEND screenings
  • Films for a Fiver
  • special events, including a recent Downton Abbey gala night

The cinema’s own ticket prices put Films for a Fiver at £5.00 in term time and holidays, and a Big Screen Saver seat at £7.25 from Monday to Thursday until 5pm, excluding school holidays, bank holidays and 3D. A standard 2D ticket is £10.35 Monday to Thursday after 5pm and £12.25 Friday to Sunday, with concessions at £9.35 and £11.20. Concessions cover adults aged 60 and over, students with NUS or student ID, and children aged 17 and under. The free Zebra Discount membership takes 15% off selected films, food and drink.

The building on The Campus also holds the Hawthorne Theatre and the central library.

What it means for you

If you want Campus West on the longlist, the deadline is short and the mechanism is simple: vote once, before Monday 21 September, at bifa.film/coty-vote. The weighting means a town of this size is not automatically outgunned by a city chain.

BIFA directors Amy Gustin and Deena Wallace said the award “is our way of recognising the value of independent cinemas to people and the industry, whilst celebrating the hardworking teams behind the screens and the loyal audiences who support them”.

For more of what is on locally, see our guide to things to do in Welwyn Garden City.