The bigger picture

Penelope Cruz has me transfixed with her gaze. In her dark, Spanish eyes are reflected a list of lagers available at the Waterman's Arms behind me. Her seductive stare draws me in and before I know it I've left the cobbles of Water Lane and am sat in the splendidly refurbished surroundings of the Richmond Filmhouse.

There's a cosy traditional feel to the bar-cum-foyer-cum-ticket office at this popular independent cinema. Sat here perusing the posters for forthcoming attractions it's reassuring to see the cinema is back on its feet after a fire at the end of January forced it to close until May. After the re-opening came audience distractions like the World Cup, a heatwave and the holiday season - but filmgoers are now flocking back to the intimate 144-seat venue.

"We start running Volver this week, explains the Filmhouse manager Mick McAloon. "It's the kind of film our patrons will enjoy - so much so that we're actually going to run it for three weeks, though most of our screenings only show for a fortnight."

With just the one screen the Filmhouse requires a rapid turnaround of films to draw-in regulars, first-timers and those signed up to its enticing membership scheme. Volver is an apt choice for the revitalised cinema to kick-start the season. Its director, Pedro Almodovar, is popular among fans of intelligent cinema - and one of the very first pictures shown here was Almodovar's Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down. That was back in June 1990 when film maker Phillip Knatchbull realised his dream to retain the tradition of cinema-going in Richmond.

The site of the Filmhouse was once part of a larger cinema called The Gaumont (originally the New Royalty). It was actually one of five cinemas catering for Richmond's movie-loving masses between the turn of the century and 1980s. Entry to The Gaumont was via an ornate Georgian town house that's now home to a dental surgery and a Mexican restaurant on Hill Street. When The Gaumont closed, as part of the redevelopment of the Richmond riverside, a council covenant decreed that the site would still house a cinema.

In the late 80s, Knatchbull enlisted the help of the Twickenham Film Studios along with moviemakers Richard Attenborough and David Puttnam to provide Richmondites with an independent arthouse cinema. The £500,000 project was completed in May 1990 with movie luminaries - including Attenborough and Michael Winner - attending the opening bash. Since then it's grown to become a successful and much respected local asset.

"There's a misconception that we're elitist or niche - our audiences represent a cross-section of the local community and our films cater for all tastes," explains McAloon. With around 50,000 admissions a year, it's certainly not a niche spot - and a glance at the up-and-coming films confirms McAloon's point. In one month visitors are treated to mainstream blockbusters like A Scanner Darkly with Keanu Reeves, and United '93, along with a chance to see an Alfred Hitchcock double bill on the big screen and of course, the pouting Penelope Cruz in Volver.

Knatchbull's stewardship of the cinema and dealings with major distributors enables local filmgoers to get exclusive access to the new movies opening in London's West End on the same release date. It's meant that the Filmhouse has lead the way with new releases down the years, including the first local screenings of Cinema Paradiso, Reservoir Dogs, Schindler's List and Malcolm X.

Dispelling the 'elitist' myth even more, the Filmhouse has maintained a grassroots attachment to the local community thanks to student film projects, kids parties and hosting audience question and answer sessions with the likes of Richard E Grant and Peter Greenaway.

"Our involvement with the local community is also reflected in the cinema's membership scheme," explains Julian Bates, the Filmhouse's press and marketing man. Not only are members treated to reduced tickets and advance notice of forthcoming features, but they're also entitled to special offers at a number of Richmond restaurants, bars and businesses.

Providing the best in international cinema whilst retaining strong local community links earned the Filmhouse the award of Best Neighbourhood Cinema 2005 in a competition run by The Independent newspaper and LBC radio. That achievement is commemorated on a wall plaque beside the classical pillars at the cinema's entrance - I take a peek at it as I leave before heading back down the cobbles, with Penelope Cruz watching me as I go...

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