What To Expect At The Projector X: Picturehouse Cinema Pop-Up
The soft launch for the indie cinema's new digs takes place on August 19.
The Projector, a linchpin of the indie cinema scene here is ready to welcome cinephiles to its newest home on August 19. Called Projector X: Picturehouse, it is housed in the historic Cathay building on Handy Road and will be the operator's second pop-up after its outpost at Riverside Point opened last year. The sprawling space occupies the fifth and sixth floors of the building, which was formerly occupied by Cathay Cineplex.
The Projector X: Picturehouse is housed in building that used to house the Cathay cinema, which had been in operation since 1939 and was Singapore's first air-conditioned cinema. A neon sign showcasing the cinema's iconic facade takes pride of place on the wall of The Projector X: Picturehouse.
Opening night will see the screening of local music documentary Scene Unseen – an in-depth look into our nation's underground music scene through stories shared by artists and fans. Spearheaded by late filmmaker and drummer Abdul Nizam, the film premiered last year at the Singapore International Film Festival to rave reviews. The Shining by Stanley Kubrick will be screened on Saturday night – with popcorn on the house if you come dressed up in theme. Capping the opening weekend will be the comedic classic from 1996: Ong Keng Sen's Army Daze.
Scroll on to get the lowdown on this new cultural hangout.
With three big halls and one small premium hall, Picturehouse is The Projector's largest pop-up to date. Like how the name Picturehouse pays tribute to the legacy of The Cathay, all four halls are christened after legendary cinemas that once operated in Singapore.
Majestic – named after the Chinatown theatre of the same name – has 592 seats and is the biggest of the bunch. Yangtze and Roxy, meanwhile, have 292 and 250 seats respectively. The former take its name after the infamous Pearls Centre cinema, which screened R-rated and soft porn movies, while the latter gets its name from the cinema that once sat at the junction of East Coast Road and Brooke Road.
The Ruby (pictured) – named after the former Balestier Road cinema – will open in late Sep, and will be Picturehouse's premium lounge. It will house 25 fancy reclining seats that will also allow for intimate film-themed dinners. It's to note that the three large halls are wheelchair accessible and have wheelchair berths.
Like its Golden Mile and Riverside outlets, Picturehouse also has food and drinks for you to buy. Grab your popcorn and a bite to eat at No Spoilers Bar, with menu items that include a hearty Beef Cheek Rendang and vegan bowls. The space is helmed by bar manager Tommy Rahmat (formerly from Cafe Melba and Marmalade Pantry) and head chef Girda “Dot” Bandi (formerly Timbre Group and Sunday Market). Get your espresso fix with a cuppa from homegrown coffee company Guerilla Coffee – or get into the party mood with beer and cocktails on tap from Australian brewery Rocky Ridge.
The most exciting part of this new pop-up? The Bladerunner Ballroom – a communal space located on Level 5 which will host exhibitions as well as live cabaret, open mics and live DJ sets on Friday, Saturday and eve of public holidays. For the soft launch on August 19, it will be holding a digital art showcase from local artists Howie Kim, Race Krehel and Sean Kingstan (aka Cybercesspool).
Besides having a large amount of furniture donated by the community – including furniture company Castlery and homeware brand Crane Living – founder Karen Tan shared that her personal friends were roped in to help paint the walls and put up the posters to bring Picturehouse to life. Pictured here are one of the two themed lounge areas – one of which is inspired by the works of legendary Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai.