Brixton Community Cinema, Abiba Coulibaly’s popular pay-what-you-can film club, will close next month after its final season. Launched in 2022, the roving project became known for showcasing international repertory and arthouse films, building a strong following and moving from small Brixton spaces to established venues such as London’s Cinema Museum. Coulibaly says the closure is a recalibration rather than an abandonment of the project.

The cinema expanded beyond what one person could sustainably manage, while the pay-what-you-can model provided limited financial stability. Attempts to formalise and scale the organisation created substantial administrative costs and demands, without attracting significant long-term institutional funding. Its final season includes screenings of Kuxa Kanema: The Birth of Cinema and An Incomplete Calendar, alongside a discussion featuring filmmaker John Akomfrah; a £2,500 WeTransfer contribution is described as its only major partnership.