Showroom workstation

Description

Showroom Workstation is Sheffield’s only media arts complex operating a popular independent café/bar, conference and events facility, four-screen cinema, and creative industries managed workspace.

Housing a cinema and a creative business centre, it is based in the converted 1930’s Kenning’s car showroom, located in the area adjacent to Sheffield train station which was once teaming with steel and silver fabricators. The formerly derelict art deco building was rescued from demolition by Sheffield Media & Exhibition Centre Ltd (SMEC) in 1989 and it opened in its new guise in stages from 1993 -1998. It is now an internationally significant cultural centre and hub for the region and a treasured independent cinema.

Showroom is one of the largest independent cinemas in Europe with four luxury auditoria, education spaces and a café/bar. It presents a lively programme of films from around the world, from contemporary film to classic cinema and is proud to screen a diverse original programme, relevant to its local and regional audiences.

Showroom regularly hosts festivals and events, often bringing creative practitioners to Sheffield for live question and answer sessions - giving audiences a chance to meet experts from different media, learn new skills and cultivate new ideas.

The Workstation is a hothouse for the creative and digital industries sector, housing over 60 companies working with clients in the region, the UK and internationally.

Showroom Workstation’s parent company is a Registered Charity. It exists to support the cultural and educational provision around film for Sheffield and has wider ambitions to support and develop the independent film sector in the region, with particular interests in Documentary Film and Cinema for Young People. These interests are reflected in the major activities it has undertaken across the past 20 years of its existence.

Together, Showroom and Workstation provide facilities, training opportunities and engagement for the Film Industry.

We successfully managed the first Film Hub North (FHN) project from early April 2014 to 31st March 2018, as part of the BFI Film Audience Network.  Due to the success of FHN, and the other Hubs across the UK, a second project has been funded by the BFI, from 1st April 2018 – 31st March 2022.

FHN2 is being delivered in partnership between Showroom Workstation, HOME (Manchester) and Tyneside Cinema (Newcastle).  This makes us the largest of the 8 BFI funded regional Film Hubs in the UK, which make up the Film Audience Network.  All the Hubs in the Network are managed by leading film organisations and venues strategically placed around the country.  More information about FHN and the FAN is available on the following link: www.filmhubnorth.org.uk.  We are the Hub Lead Organisation for Film Hub North, part of the BFI’s UK-wide initiative The Audience Network, providing cultural leadership and coordination for film exhibition for the whole of the North of England.