Secretive London Fields cinema to screen Dr Strangelove on US election night

There’s been plenty of fanfare about The Castle Cinema being resurrected in Lower Clapton – but in the meantime a different boutique cinema screen has sprung up under the radar. And fittingly, it’s run by a former producer of Secret Cinema.

The 54-seat movie theatre at the Institute of Light in Helmsley Place, London Fields, opened in June.

Since then its curator Harry Ross – who co-produced many events at the immersive film series Secret Cinema from 2010 to 2013, including The Shawshank Redemption and Brazil – has come up with a programme alluding to the political world.

The “Europa” schedule gave a nod to Brexit, and “coming to terms culturally with what not being part of the EU meant”.

Now “Americana” is running to coincide with the US presidential elections – and Dr Strangelove will be screening on Tuesday at an election night party.

“The film is about what happens when the wrong person gets his hands on the button. Maybe November 9 is going to be the end of the world,” joked Harry.

He believes the more cinemas there are the better: “Whether that’s small art house offerings, or BFIs - more cinema and less Netflix and chill is what I say. There are so many options for us to entertain ourselves inside, but nothing beats going somewhere else with other people and having time afterwards to discuss it.”

He still remembers the first film he ever saw at the cinema – which was Bambi.

“It was one of those old school cinemas where you could smoke and my mother smoked all the time,” he said.

“You had to queue outside for a ticket. It’s that sense of event that brings mystery and wonder.”