Picture House At Fact

First off I should say that I only used their bar upstairs in to hang out and work in — but it was a great place with a lovely vibe and a really diverse mix of people coming and going through the day.
Really friendly staff, a good selection of alcoholic drinks and some really nice teas — I thought the lemongrass one was excellent!
The only disappointing thing was that they don’t serve food (not their fault) upstairs — there is a really good looking café downstairs though… so because I was restricted in meetings up here I basically survived just on snacks from the bar like edamame beans, cookies and coffee — not a bad afternoon :-)
I’d recommend this place for a quiet place to relax, meet up with friends and just generally have some peace and quiet in your life.

We adore FACT it is a wonderful independent Liverpool Cinema just off Bold Street. It is well worth getting an annual membership as you get 5 cinema tickets and 10% off tickets and drinks and snacks in the bar. Seats are super comfy and there is always a nice crowd… Never rowdy!

FACT is a positively indispensable Liverpool cultural institution. Its three screens offer far more interesting cinematic fare than their Odeon cousins, and they are licensed to boot, which makes seeing a film here feel like a classier experience overall. The café has fairly decent food as well, and its open, airy ambiance, combined with the excellent wifi, makes for a great working or casual lunch. And don’t forget the exhibitions! In short, whenever I’m at a loss as to what to do with an evening or weekend afternoon, FACT is often my default port of call.
Two film-​related issues hold FACT back from perfection, in my opinion. The first is that they need more arthouse/​indie/​foreign/​classic films, and less of what is already playing everywhere else. The second is that the «box» cinema on the ground floor needs more comfortable seats, and, if you arrive late, its level seating surface makes for lousy viewing from the back row. This problems are compounded by the fact that the «box» often plays the most interesting films, and, even though I’m 6 feet tall, I sometimes have to crane my neck to read the subtitles over the people sitting in front of me. My (shorter) girlfriend finds this particularly difficult.
These quibbles aside, I can’t recommend FACT highly enough!

FACT is easily one of the best things Liverpool has to offer, if not THE best thing.
FACT is a combination of cinema, art gallery, exhibition space, bar, café and shop. Yes, all of that.
The cinema is absolutely top notch, it is the best cinema I have ever visited. They show a good mix of both major releases and independent films. You’ll find big blockbusters rubbings shoulders with arthouse movies, or Japanese animation. They even show classics from time to time. Perfect.
The art exhibitions change on a regular basis so it’s hard to specifically review those. My favourite in recent memory is the «History of Music Video» piece they had in, where you could go through the evolution of the medium. I spent ages in here and wrote down a good few obscure artists I hadn’t heard of so I could check them out later. Anyway, the exhibitions are always fantastic and imaginative.
The bar is also much-​loved. It’s a favourite hang-​out spot of mine, even if I’m not in the building for anything else. It doesn’t boast a HUGE range of drinks but the atmosphere is always nice, relaxed and friendly.
The café downstairs is equally as good, especially lately as it’s been re-​done and now offers a bigger selection. I’m especially fond of the different green teas.
Anyway, FACT is a must. It’s essential. It is the heart of Liverpool.

Love this cinema, as its an independent place, there is always a good range of foreign language and art house films here with an atmosphere you just couldn’t recreate in one of the larger chain cinemas.
There are 3 separate screens, one being a small room only seating a small number of people and instead of seats you get mini sofas and with a licensed bar upstairs you can take your beer or bottle of wine with you to any of the screenings.
As well as the bar, there is a café downstairs and a shop selling all kinds of independent film memorabilia and with poetry nights and film quizzes taking place too I cant recommend this place highly enough.

A movie theater that caters to both the casual moviegoer and the film buff. More importantly, you can bring an entire bottle of wine in with you, either to sip while enjoying the movie or drown your sorrows in if the movie is terrible. What’s not to like?

The Picture house at Fact is tucked away on a side street in the city centre. The building itself doesn’t look big enough to house one cinema, never mind 3.
The first of these cinema’s is downstairs on the ground floor and is called The Box. This is a small cinema and is filled with low back sofa’s. Usually it is the smaller and more independent films that are shown here. This cinema is nice and comfy.
Upstairs there are 2 other cinemas, one slightly larger than the other. The seats inside are extremely comfortable. Each chair has its own drinks holder, plenty of leg space and the seat reclines to give you extra comfort.
There is a very nice bar upstairs that sells a large range of drinks, all of which can be taken into the cinemas in plastic cups. There is also a refreshments stall upstairs selling the usual cinema snacks of popcorn, ice cream, chocolate and soft drinks.
Being a smaller cinema the Picture house doesn’t always have the bigger films available but they do try and rotate the films to show as many major releases as possible. The ticket prices are similar to the nearby Odeon, the snacks are cheaper and there are usually less children in the cinemas so therefore less disruption.

The «fact» of the matter is folks it is venues such as this Liverpool is considered to be a cultural pandorra box. Playing host to not one not two but 3 state-​of-​the-​art cinemas. The films shown here are probably best described as being in the world cinema genre.
One of the great features of the place is that the building is fully licensed which means you can carry your pint and enjoy it while you watch a movie. The bar and café is well equipped to refresh or intoxicate you accordingly. Although you would probably want to be sober to enjoy the great exhibitions from around the world in one of the two art galleries.
A venue such as this is a great advert for Liverpool and shows the great diversity in the city’s offerings. Yes it has the Odeons of this world but it also has Fact as an alternative to cater for people of all movie genre tastes. That really is a beautiful thing. The «facts» are all there… now its just a case of checking it out, so go on why don’t ya!

Fact is an alternative cinema experience for those who wish to see the silver screen in a different light. Fact focuses on independent films and also has a penchant for screening top quality foreign language films. Fact is the thinking mans’ version of a mainstream cinema chain such as the odeon and is the kind of place you are more likely to enjoy a glass of white wine than popcorn and a large fizzy drink. My favourite experience at Fact was when viewing the excellent french film ‘un prophet’ which required a certain level of intellectual attention which is something you associate with independent picture houses. Fact is so much more than just a cinema it provides various specialist events such as a breakfast with the artists morning, providing an opportunity for eager fans to meet people within the selective art house scene and pose questions to them. It is this extra attention to detail which really sets Fact apart it shows astonishing effort on behalf of the attentive staff and makes the whole place a real art house haven. For those who are new to the art house world there are free tours throughout the day during the week with a guide explaining everything there is to know about Fact and the arthouse world and if you notify the staff in advance the tour can be catered to your groups own specific needs. Fact is an all round wholesome and arty experience and even if your not there to see a film or view an exhibition of art you can relax in the excellent café and bar area. The area is beautifully modern and refreshing and is child friendly also, there are a variety of sandwiches on offer with coffees or even something stronger also available.
If you require a cinema experience which is outside of the norm then give Fact ago you may even learn something.

Road movies
Cult movies
Arthouse movies
World cinema movies
Independent movies
Reclining seats
Intimate sofas for two
Green & Blacks Ice Cream
& Drinks you can take in with you
The only thing that could make me love Picture House @ FACT even more is a Penelope Cruz triple bill. Just a suggestion, folks…

As the only ‘arthouse’ cinema left in Liverpool — the old 051 cinema closed about a decade ago — FACT is holding its own against the might of the new Liverpool1 Odeon complex and to be fair is struggling a little.
It’s a great venue that holds art exhibitions, provides training in media technology and offers support to artists and the surrounding community but its range of films is steadily becoming a little narrow as it seeks to compete for mainstream cinema-​goers. It’s a bright and modern building and you will often find the exhibitions spilling out of the galleries and into the public spaces so it’s the type of place you will find media-​types huddled behind their Macbooks in the coffee shop. It’s also got a really good book shop tucked away in the corner of the ground floor that has a great selection of books on cinema, art and design.

FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) is responsible for commissioning, exhibiting, promoting and supporting artists’ work and innovation in film, video and new media.
Since its opening, it has developed into a popular picturehouse which attracts alot of students and tourists. One of its main emphasis is on world cinema.
WIth a variety of galleries, they also feature wifi access and hold an upstairs café.
It is definitely somewhere where you can enjoy a good movie with friends on a night out as an alternative to the Odeon or theatre for instance. As well as this, its quite a spacious building and has a comfortable feeling about it.

Fact is an alternative theatre and gallery which challenges the concepts of the Odeon giants. The first and only place I’ve been to where there is a screening room with sofas instead of rows of seats (although the sofas aren’t particularly comfortable and can only seat two comfortably). The main screening rooms upstairs have chairs that are reclinable and you can take drinks from the bar in with you. It is a decent size cinema and shows various arty films as well as European flicks, and has also taken on the 3D mantle.
On the ground floor, in addition to the sofa cinema, there is a coffee shop and gift shop/​book shop. There is free wifi in the coffee shop and the atmosphere is relaxed — you don’t feel as nervous taking advantage of the wifi as you may do in other coffee shops. On the first floor you can find the bar, which is well stocked and I’m pretty sure they used to hold quizzes there but don’t seem to any more. Not somewhere you would generally think of to go for a drink on a night out, but if you do remember to go there whilst out and about, I doubt you’d be disappointed.
The next floor holds the main screening rooms and a very small cubicle for popcorn and edibles, although there never seems to be everything there that they advertise, and with my Ben & Jerry’s addiction I’m not always impressed!
This is, for me, a better cinema than Odeon as I prefer the less commercial side of things. It has managed to retain that homey feeling, despite being in the city centre, and even though its only a cinema, like they say — every little helps!

Pretty decent theatre in Liverpool City Center. They have recent releases as well as some art house stuff. They also have several revolving galleries, mostly featuring video or installation work. They have a bar upstairs and a coffee shop in the back, they also offer free wifi and have a good book store.

This is a very sophisticated viewing experience with the added bonus of an exhibition space, café and shop selling cultural/​arty books and items relevant to the sort of things they exhibit.
The cinema snacks sold, while traditional items like chocolate and ice cream are available, are more upmarket; Green And Blacks ice cream. I can’t get enough of the salt and balsamic vinegar popcorn which has to be tasted to be appreciated. You can settle down with a sophisticated snack and real coffee/​elderflower cordial in a calm auditorium free from nuisances, eg people who talk, get down and dirty, use their phones, etc etc, and the seats are incredibly comfortable and spacious with very generous legroom.
It costs less than some of the Odeons in London I used to go to, and around the same as the Odeon at Liverpool One, as well as there being concessions available, eg student/​OAP discounts.

Comfortably bridging the gap between arthouse and mainstream cinema, the ultra-​modern Picture House at FACT cinema, on L’pool’s Wood St, is exactly how you should be enjoying films communally in the 21^st century. A modestly priced restaurant/​café area on the ground floor, sets you up for a choice of screen viewing (average price: £7) with each mini-​cinema boasting an intimate, but spacious, environment, with fully-​adjustable reclining seats, and the option to take your refreshments — including alcohol — in with you. The cinema usually runs about 8 films in its listings at any one time, ranging from Cannes Film Festival winners, to the latest James Bond. Lift access to all areas is provided, together with infra-​red assisted hearing systems in the cinemas and The Box. A Loop system is also available at Tickets & Information in the foyer.

After a few years up and running, FACT is still the best place to go see movies in Liverpool. I do find it a shame that they’ve had to rely increasingly on more mainstream movies to make money, as they used to have a programme of more obscure movies and old classics. The city desperately needs another cinema that can cater to the arthouse audience.
Still, they do show movies that you can’t see anywhere else in town, and there are always interesting art exhibits, often with a local flavour.
A highlight is the Rear Window café. It has a nice menu of snacks and lunches at good prices, and is a great place just to hang out and have a coffee. Free WI-​FI, too.

A cinema with a bit more character and culture than the multiplexes. The PictureHouse is a very arty sort of a place, hosting exhibitions, installations and independent film from around the world. The screens themselves are smaller than your average screen in an Odeon or Cineworld, and the décor/​environment is different too. There’s an air of trendiness to proceedings. There is a refreshment bar with wildly overpriced booze, and strange, horrible-​tasting health drinks. The seating area in the bar looks out to a small square between a couple of other (non-​Picturehouse related) bars. When I was there last, this courtyard had an empty cage in it, an art exhibition that served largely as a prop for people to take photographs with. Sort of like those pop your head through the hole in the big picture of pirates things that used to be commonly found on the Blackpool seafront. But I digress.
The Picturehouse is a nice place to have a different cinema experience, and to see a film that won’t be showing anywhere else in Liverpool.

Great! The Box is the smallest screen and is filled with sofas, just like watching a film at homeonly with a much bigger picture! The other screens are good too with reclining seats, however, you can’t usually pick where you sit as they allocate seats. Nevertheless, there is a trendy bar for refreshments!

Great Cinema.
Screen 1 + 2 Large screen, seats recline.
Screen 3 Large screen
The Box Large screen full of sofas.
You can take alcoholic drinks into the screens.
A lot of films that are not shown elsewhere.
Orange Wednesdays available.