Hitchcock's Cinema

It’s one of those injustices we see too often in the world of art and history…An integral monument to the cultural structure of a society being sacrificed in the name of some unfulfilling, commercial purpose.

The EMD Cinema in Walthamstow was a celebrated building. It is acknowledged as one of London’s finest art deco cinemas and is scheduled by English Heritage as A Grade 2* Listed Building in recognition of its architectural significance. Built in the 1930s by Theodore Komisarjevsky, the renowned Russian stage designer, the EMD cinema is one of the only venues left in London that is designed both for live performances and film showings.

The cinema’s prominence is further made abundantly clear by the list of entertainment names that have passed into legendary status. Names such as The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, John Coltrane and James Brown have all graced EMD Cinema’s beautiful Moorish/ Spanish interiors with their presence. However, the name most associated with the cinema is none other than film director Alfred Hitchcock who grew up in Waltham Forest.

Sadly, in 2002 the cinema had to be sold and this time the buyer hadn’t had the cinema’s rich entertainment background in mind for its use- The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) plan on converting the cinema into a conference centre and place of worship. This has sparked a debate between the McGuffin Film Society along with the residents of Walthamstow (whom without the cinema will be left as the only London borough deprived of one) and the UCKG on the future purposes of the cinema.

The debate has not been resolved despite Waltham Forest Council earmarking £1 million to assist with the redevelopment of the cinema. As EMD has been one of East London’s most significant arts venues for over 70 years, let’s hope that the decision can be made so that this pillar of our cultural heritage gets restored to its former glory.