Shortwave Cinema

I love his place — the staff are so nice, they raided their old ambandoned umbrellas stash when I was faced with a torrential downpour outside. Nice bar, good tea and a cinema to boot.

Convenient location for me, interesting offerings. When in London, I stay less than half a mile from here. The movie they showed is also in some larger theaters, which might be why It was full — they actually turned several couples away ahead of me, but since I was alone I snagged the last ticket. I don’t know if the theatre routinely sells out, but it did tonight. You can buy tickets online in advance, but I think there’s a £1.50 fee.
I’d probably give this place 2.5 stars if I could. The seats are worn and aren’t that comfy, and they had a really disorganized ticket purchasing process (a small portion of the bar with a table tent sign that said «Box Office».) For £10 a pop, I think it should be a bit more put together. Also, there’s a bit of a ramp going down the hall towards the toilets, but no warning of it in the dim lighting — not cool, so be careful and watch your step!

We went here yesterday because a friend’s short-​film was being screened at the London Independent Film Festival. The venue is quite small but nice. It reminds of the smaller theaters I used to go while I was a student: Room for about 50 people (which really gets you ‘sucked into’ the screen for a perfect film experience), no big popcorn, chips or soda selling, no overpriced items everywhere and no pretentiousness. Just film and that’s it.
I haven’t been on a normal night but this is definitely the kind of theater I would recommend if they’re playing a movie of your liking.
The bar they have is a nice extra with some reasonable prices for standard drinks.

I went here with the whole family and they all liked it. The place is cozy and comfortable and I can assure you to have a great time there.

Awesome place and very very happy to be here last night with my family. We had a great experience here. And we also had a great time with the foods we ordered. The services are fine really amazing.

I like this place a lot. The cinema is welcoming and the staff is always friendly to me. The screen has good picture quality, the seats are comfy. If you have time, I recommend you to go there– I guess you won’t be disappointed.

I can define it as a small, but nice cinema. The atmosphere is cosy. I just feel very comfortable while sitting on the red soft chairs and simply enjoying some interesting films.

Nice little bar and apparently a cinema too. Only went in to get out of the rain and wait for the Hotel GB final to start but quite liked the bar. Was just a shame there was no free seating or might have stayed longer. Lots of tables outside but no good then it raining.

I was in London recently and felt like wathing a good movie. A friend of mine suggested goingo to Shortwave Cinema and we had really great time.

A magnificent place to have a great night with a friend.

Love it! Each time I come here I am very satisfied!

Two stars! I feel like such a miserable bastard but as far as cinemas go I really have experienced better. The DVD logo at the start of the movie was not a good sign.
I’ve been to small screens before but this was minute. The sound quality was poor and took a bit of getting used to, the seats were uncomfortable, there was very little leg room, the air conditioning couldn’t cope with the sold out showing (it started freezing and then became a sauna, unfortunately taking off my jumper was not an option without accidentally punching the stranger next to me), there is no reserved seating so it’s a scramble for the 50 seats once the door opens AND…
THEY DON’T SELL PEANUT M&MS! Call yourself a cinema.
Luckily the movie was good, once I managed to get used to the poor sound quality, and considering this movie was only playing at 2 other cinemas in London I do appreciate them showing it. Thanks for that.
The bar area looks kinda nice though if you just want a drink.

Had the pleasure of watching a short film about local artist Ed Gray here last week.
Lovely little cinema seating about 50 in comfort. Good size screen and the sound quality was perfect.
Bar out front serving tasty snacks and a pretty standard selection of beer and wine.
This is a lovely part of town to spend a summers evening. The nearby Zucca would be a good place for a pre or post movie meal.

A great addition to the ever-​trendifying Bermondsey Street area. The drinks are expectedly on the pricier side, but for this you get a nice atmosphere and good, friendly service.
We used the cinema once and loved it. Cosy, reasonably-priced…and you can take your bottle of wine in with you. Very civilised.

I really am a fan of something different when it comes to cinema — and the Shortwave did not disappoint.
I first came here for the Unilocal ‘Guilty Pleasures — The Three Amigos’ event, which in itself was brilliant. To be specific about the place as opposed to the event though, the bar was well stocked and the staff were efficient. The atmosphere was great in the bar, especially when it began to fill toward show-​time. Décor was cool, as you would expect for a recently built business.
In the screening room, is where I began being disappointed. The actual quality of all of the equipment, fixtures and fittings were really substandard. Using a Kef home theatre system that is designed for use in a small living room does not cut it at all for a commercial cinema. Even though volume and clarity were severely lacking, I could have overlooked this if the audio had been set up correctly, which it had not — the surround effects and volume of the centre (dialog) channel were not set up correctly, which led to a poor audio representation of the film we watched. The sub-​woofer really struggled with a room this big — and lacked the impact one would expect at moments of drama during the film.
The screen and projector also lacked clarity and distinction — not really how you wish to present a serious piece of cinema, or in our case, a well-​loved ‘Guilty Pleasure’. To also echo Linzi M’s review… a cinema where you can drink alcohol… AND…NO CUP HOLDERS?!? What would you do that?
I would go back to the Shortwave, but I will expect a great bar and staff, with terrible, cheap sound and picture next time.

How do you like your cinemas? Small and full of South London twats? Me too.
Nah I kid, this place is great. Used to live nearby and we waited for months for this place to open. Like kids on Christmas morning, we got a board game, not the xbox we asked for. Cos, damn this place is tiny. It’s like watching a movie in your living room with twenty of your closest friends. The theatre has about 6 rows of seats and is very close to the screen. I was waiting for someone to get behind a mike and do some improv.
What’s so confusing is that the front bar is quite big. They should have knocked that down in size and squeezed in some more seats. And what, are we too indie for cup holders?
If you like art house, indie and documentary films and feel like giving some money to the little guy, go to Shortwave. Spend some money in the bar too, it’s pretty cool and they do great breakfast deals.

I love a good trip to the pictures, yes I did call it pictures, and no I’m not 70 years old, that’s just what I call it! As far as independent cinemas go you can’t get more independent than this. Run by some friendly London geezers this is a perfect movie hot spot. A fab selection of new and old flicks that can make a dull night in a exciting night out.
So what’s so great about this place? Well you can have a cider while watching you film. That was always going to win with me. You also can see some really unusual nights here. I went for a comedy night where a comedian gave a little jibber jabber and then showed their favourite film. It was great and actually I saw something that I wouldn’t have chosen to have seen myself and really enjoyed it.
This place has a super cosy bar and is just waiting to be discovered. comfy couches in the corner are the best seats in the house and perfect for a bit of pre-​movie snuggling. What’s really weird about this place though is that it doesn’t have a projection room. What that does mean though is that is that you can get a group of your buddies and hire the place out to watch your favourite film on DVD! Pretty cool I’d say!

If I ever won the lottery I’d model my living room using the Shortwave as inspiration. Cosy, friendly, awesome screen, great sound, plentiful beer, tasty snacks, and comfortable seats. I think I’d make my living room more bar than cinema but the Shortwave excels at both. I’d quite happily come here for a beer, even if I had no intention of watching a film.
Not sure what else you could ask for? Kate Moss as a barmaid or Eva Green as an usher?

Fantastic venue even when invaded by Qype-​loving zombies.
This cinema sits within a square near a new hotel and bar/​/​lounge, across from a Sainsbury’s so you can pop in to the supermarket for your movie snacks then grab a beer or wine and get in there.
The cinema is small and intimate — perfect for showings of cult classics such as Shaun of the Dead or The Rocky Horror Picture Show which I think should be the next movie Qype gets hosted there. I just need to remember my newspaper as the seats are close and in the velvet darkness of the cinema one never knows what one may encounter.
The sound needs improving but once you get involved in the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane you’ll know this is the perfect cinema within which to do the Time Warp AGAIN!

Twilight raid at the Shortwave Cinema, as bloodied Qypers hit the frenzied hub of SE1 in a bid to indelibly mark their presence at this brand, spanking new movie house.
The old medieval square, formerly a clunic abbey, has been totally revamped, now boasting a luxury hotel standing proud against the backdrop of the city lights. Who wouldn’t fancy a spot of al fresco dining on such a beautiful night, as the eager undead bustled into the 50 seater uniplex to watch classic cult Britflick Shaun of the Dead.
Billed as the first newly built cinema for the 21^st century, I know where I’ll be going for a cosy rendez-​vous away from the masses, regardless of the zombie lined streets!