Phoenix shortlisted for 2024 ProCon Leicestershire Awards

We are delighted to announce that Phoenix, Leicester’s independent cinema and arts centre, has been shortlisted for this year’s prestigious ProCon Leicestershire awards, the county’s largest celebration of the built environment.

Having opened our expanded venue in 2023, we are excited to have been shortlisted as a finalist in the Medium to Large Non-Residential Scheme of the Year category at the 2024 awards.

Our £8.5M capital expansion saw Phoenix double in size, and the venue now boasts four screen cinemas, superb new galleries, and a stylish Café Bar, plus a fabulous roof terrace and more spaces for making and learning. The project saw the construction of a new extension, alongside refurbishment of existing areas, to provide state of the art facilities for the communities of Leicester to enjoy, learn about and celebrate a diverse range of locally curated film and art in an inspiring accessible environment, for many years to come.

The capital expansion project has enabled significant growth of Phoenix’s cultural programme – increasing our social and economic impact, and creating more opportunities to engage with local communities and businesses. Within five years, the expansion will double participation in digital arts, cinema and learning, and will also provide enhanced opportunities for local filmmakers, artists, and creative businesses.

The project was delivered with architects Marchini Curran Associates and Willmott Dixon construction, with project management by Focus Consultants. The capital project was funded by Arts Council England, Leicester City Council, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, European Regional Development Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, The Foyle Foundation and the British Film Institute (BFI).

Ali Sinclair, Phoenix Chair of Trustees, said: “We are thrilled with the capital expansion of Phoenix, which has created an exemplary accessible public venue that is a great asset to Leicester. The completion of the project has transformed how Phoenix operates, and we can now offer an enriched cultural programme, accommodate more visitors, increase our community engagement, and develop more partnerships with local organisations and businesses – all of which are key to underpinning Phoenix’s future. These are exciting times, and we look forward to exploring new opportunities as a direct result of the capital expansion project.”

The winners will be announced at the ProCon Leicestershire Awards dinner and ceremony at King Power Stadium on 14 November 2024.