Rio Cinema (Dalston)
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The Rio Cinema
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| Former names | Kingsland Picture Palace, Kingsland Empire, Classic, Tatler | ||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||
| Location | Dalston, East London | ||||||||||||
| Address | 107 Kingsland High Street, London, E8 2PB | ||||||||||||
| Country | United Kingdom | ||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°32′59″N 0°04′32″W / 51.5496°N 0.0756°WCoordinates: 51°32′59″N 0°04′32″W / 51.5496°N 0.0756°W | ||||||||||||
| Opened | 1909 | ||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||
| Seating capacity | 402 | ||||||||||||
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| Designations | |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Designated | 1 Feb, 1999 |
| Reference no. | 1244939 |
| Listed for | special architectural or historic interest |
The Rio Cinema is a Grade II listed independent Art Deco cinema in east London. It is a popular single-screen cinema located on Kingsland High Street in Dalston, with a history stretching back over 100 years.
The Rio was named one of London's best cinemas by the Daily Telegraph and best cinema bars by the Evening Standard.
The programme usually includes one main feature film each week, chosen by Executive Director Oliver Meek and head projectionist Peter Howden. These range from arthouse to blockbusters. There is usually a Saturday late show, Bargain Mondays, Tuesday discounts for Hackney Library Card holders, and regular Parents and Babies screenings. The Rio also works with programming partners such as the East End Film Festival, The London Feminist Film Festival, Doc'n Roll and the Fringe! Gay Film Fest.
It also hosts film festivals including the annual Turkish Film Festival, which began at the cinema in 1994.
As a charity, the cinema undertakes cultural outreach through cut-price tickets for the children's Saturday Picture Club, schools events, and a monthly classic matinee for over-60s. Every year hundreds of school children attend film screenings and educational events at the Rio Cinema.
The building is open 364 days a year, with over 1300 screenings annually. The stalls on the ground floor seat 188, and the circle (open on busy days) seats 214. The cafe serves locally sourced popcorn, crisps, sweets, chocolate, soft drinks, locally produced samosas, wgean and wheat free cake, Climpson's coffee, Borough wine and Camden Hells larger and ales .
The building was originally an auctioneer's shop, converted into the Kingsland Palace in 1909 by owner Clara Ludski. It was one of five cinemas in Dalston and an immediate hit.
Its success led to properties either side being bought up, and the architect George Coles was commissioned to design a new single-screen picturehouse. Construction began in 1913, and the Kingsland Empire opened in 1915.
The Kingsland Empire's style was 'late Edwardian neo-classical'. There was a two-level tea room, domed tower, and an elaborate auditorium featuring five side arches and a proscenium with double Ionic columns either side, topped by a frieze. English Heritage say that the original Kingsland Empire was "more theatrical in planning and decoration than most cinemas of that date".
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