2020 be part of it logo

Phoenix to put customers’ names on expanded cinema

16/07/2019
Phoenix is encouraging its customers to put their names on its expanded cinema and art centre as part of a new charitable fundraising programme 2020 | BE PART OF IT.

Leicester’s Phoenix is encouraging its customers to put their names on its expanded cinema and art centre as part of a new charitable fundraising programme.

The campaign – 2020 | BE PART OF IT – offers individuals and businesses a variety of levels of name recognition in return for donations towards its Phoenix 2020 plan to become a four screen independent cinema and art centre by 2020.

Donations from £10 will be recognised with the individual’s name on screen before every film, whilst customers donating £40 will see their name on the cinema’s brand new front doors.

For £120, customers can sponsor a seat in one of the two new auditoria – complete with a message, quote or dedication – and for donations of £500 or above, a limited number of donors will be recognised at the entrance to one of its new screens.

Donations can be made at the Phoenix box office or online at phoenix.org.uk/donate

Donors will also receive further recognition including ‘shout-outs’ on social media, signed certificates of thanks and invites to Phoenix’s upcoming 30th anniversary party.

Phoenix already has £5.5 million in place and needs to raise at least £500,000 more to start building in 2020. The expansion – which has received planning permission – will transform the city centre charitable venue into a four screen independent cinema, with a new art gallery, a larger café, a green roof terrace, and more spaces for making and learning.

“Phoenix has a long history in Leicester and enjoys a special place in its customers’ affections,” said Patrick Welsh, Marketing Manager at Phoenix. “We want our customers to be part of our future and to give them the chance to have a little piece of Phoenix with their name on it.”

“With their little help, we will be able to show a wider range of superb cinema, and reach out to more people who can benefit from our work – giving them the chance to enjoy, learn about and make wonderful film and art.”

Support from Leicester filmmaker Amit Gupta
Phoenix 2020 has the support of Leicester-born writer and director for theatre, film and television Amit Gupta: “Without Phoenix I know I would not be a filmmaker today. It opened my eyes to a world I did not know existed.

“It is why indies like the Phoenix are so important. They allow people from diverse social backgrounds to dream, and perhaps more importantly to find like minded people who have similar dreams, because cinemas are about much more than the films themselves.

“They are about the community. They bring people together. They help build a more cohesive society. They make us realise that wherever we are from, the stories we love, the stories we tell, the stories that touch us, are universal.”

Amit Gupta’s first film, Resistance, starring Andrea Riseborough and Michael Sheen, was nominated for three BAFTAs. His second film, Jadoo, premiered in Official Selection at the Berlin Film Festival 2013. Amit is a patron of Phoenix.