Indie cinema’s The Bioscope turns 15

Independent cinema in South Africa has a wonderful history. Many years ago, in Hillbrow, the Mini Cini screened flicks that ranged from the bizarre to the sublime.

The 7 Arts in Norwood was an absolute institution, and today, still, the Labia in Cape Town celebrates celluloid art. In Joburg, the Bioscope at 44 Stanley marks 15 years of movies this year.

There is something special about Bioscope. Its wooden decked lobby, the memorabilia gift shop and the car-seat rowed theatre. It’s artsy, but accessible. And nothing could temper co-founder Russel Grant’s passion for the movies. It is thrilling to be in his company, and Grant’s love for film is as infectious as the smell of fresh popcorn.

It all started at film school, in class. Fellow founder Darryl Els wrote a thesis on the question of whether independent cinema would cut it commercially in Joburg. Grant was not just intrigued, he was sold. Test screenings were held at Wits, and the pair soon found themselves caught up in something that snowballed. The Bioscope opened its doors in 2010 in central Joburg, just as Maboneng was beginning to position itself as the new creative district.

‘We’d meet in parking lots’

“We had no money,” said Grant, “but we had a lot of ideas. We would meet in parking lots to talk budgets and make plans. It moved quickly.” Within two months, they were hosting screenings for the Encounters Documentary Film Festival, attracting sold-out houses and joining the local and international film stream almost overnight.

From the start, The Bioscope stood apart. One screen. Handpicked films. There was no need to show whatever was trending just to fill a schedule, said Grant. “It was always about creating something different,” shared Grant. “Not just a cinema, but a space.”

Also Read: Fashion for tactile people

There’s a bar, a pizza oven, cocktails, and a proudly local gift shop where Jozi-centric T-shirts and film memorabilia sit side by side with vinyl records and superhero compendiums. “I always loved those shops in Japan where every T-shirt was different,” said Grant. “I wanted to do something like that here. Good art, printed well, made by local talent.”

In 2019, the Bioscope made its move to 44 Stanley in Milpark. Maboneng had changed, said Grant. The vibe had become too loud for the kind of quieter magic that cinema required. “We needed calm,” Grant said. “Cinema is intimate. It does not compete well with noise.”

Movies, comedy, burlesque – the lot

Today, The Bioscope hosts everything from indie film nights and student setwork screenings to live comedy shows, burlesque, birthday parties, and documentary screenings. “We can run six or seven different things in a single Saturday,” said Grant. “We just rotate the room. Kids in the morning, cabaret by night. It works.”

It works, in part, because Grant’s ambition is not to become a giant chain of cineplexes. There was never a rush to expand or franchise, he noted. “If you get too big, you lose what made you special,” said Grant. “This space, this screen, that is the point. It must be the best it can be.” This is also why the old car seats in the theatre are being refurbished, not replaced. The projector was recently upgraded. Grant recently met someone whose job is to professionally clean cinema screens, and they are now working together. “Every detail matters,” he said. “We want people to feel that we care. Because we do.”

Some nights in the history of The Bioscope were unforgettable, he shared. When George Bizos attended a screening about his own life, flanked by Justice Edwin Cameron and Nadine Gordimer was a standout. When Oscar winner Francis McDormand popped in, or when Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers turned up. But the real win, said Grant, is the audience that comes back again and again. “That is what matters.”

Now Read: It’s lekker, messy creativity and art