A very unusual cinema has been crowned London's best in film awards

The British Independent Film Awards has announced its long list of candidates for the 2026 season, and just one highly unusual London spot has made it into the best cinema category.

15 cinemas make up the BIFA long list for the Cinema of the Year award. And the London winner? It’s the Theatreship in East London’s old docks area.

The Theatreship is a not-for-profit venue that opened its doors in 2024. And, yes, it’s found on an actual boat. It was built in 1913 and functioned as a cargo ship before being converted into a roughly 100-seater cinema, music venue and cultural space — with a bar.

Upcoming events at the Theatreship include Breeze Film Festival screenings later this week, Sapphic Cinema nights and loads of free events too. There are Songs on the Water folk music evenings, and regular mystery movie screenings.

The boat is found just a few metres away from the South Quay DLR station.

It’s not only one of the most eye-opening cinemas in London, it’s one of the most unusual on the BIFA’s Cinema of the Year long list. But the list itself would make for a pretty solid cinematic pilgrimage across the UK. There’s not a boring multiplex in sight.

Here’s the full list:

• Abbeygate Cinema (Bury St Edmunds)
• Astoria Cinema (Ayr)
• CAmpus West (Welyn Garden City)
• Filmhouse (Edinburgh)
• Hippodrome Cinema Bo’Ness (Bo’Ness)
• The Kinema in the Woods (Lincolnshire)
• Lonsdale Cinema (Annan)
• Mockingbird Cinema (Birmingham)
• The Odyssey Cinema (St Albans)
• Penarth Pier Pavilion Cinema (Penarth)
• Penistone Paramount (Barnsley)
• The Silver Screen Cinema (Folkestone)
• Theatreship (London)
• The Ultimate Picture Palace (Oxford)
• Wellington Orbit (Telford)

The longlist was picked following an audience vote, from almost 50,000 respondents’ entries. Five of the 15 will then go on to be assessed by a BIFA jury, with only one emerging as the final winner.

BIFA’s top five list will be announced on 3rd November, while the BIFA awards itself takes place on 6th December, at London’s Roundhouse.

And, yes, the BIFAs do include a lot of more familiar categories including Best British Independent Film, Best Feature Documentary, Best Director and so on. The full roster of long list candidates will be announced on 3rd November.

• The BIG London Cinema List 2026: Film festivals, seasons, Q&As and rep screenings