Under threat: festival nights at the Everyman Cinema in Crystal Palace could end if Bromley and Lambeth councils get their way " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-24-at-09-54-48-Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-at-risk-says-founder-BBC-News.png?fit=300%2C162&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-24-at-09-54-48-Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-at-risk-says-founder-BBC-News.png?fit=640%2C345&ssl=1" class=" wp-image-205741" src="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-24-at-09-54-48-Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-at-risk-says-founder-BBC-News.png?resize=593%2C320&ssl=1" alt width="593" height="320" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-24-at-09-54-48-Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-at-risk-says-founder-BBC-News.png?w=786&ssl=1 786w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-24-at-09-54-48-Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-at-risk-says-founder-BBC-News.png?resize=300%2C162&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-24-at-09-54-48-Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-at-risk-says-founder-BBC-News.png?resize=150%2C81&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-2025-06-24-at-09-54-48-Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-at-risk-says-founder-BBC-News.png?resize=768%2C414&ssl=1 768w" sizes="(max-width: 593px) 100vw, 593px">
Under threat: festival nights at the Everyman Cinema in Crystal Palace could end if Bromley and Lambeth councils get their way
The founder of one of the country’s most popular film festivals has branded Lambeth and Bromley councils “pathetic” and “short-sighted” over the threat to lumber his organisation with thousands of pounds of additional costs which could force the event to be discontinued.
The 2025 Crystal Palace International Film Festival held its special awards night, hosted by comedian Kerry Godliman, at the Stanley Halls in South Norwood. CPIFF has in the past attracted endorsements from celebrities including Paul Weller, Johnny Vegas and Mark Steel, as it screens dozens of new movies and shorts at the Everyman Cinema in Crystal Palace and the Picturehouse in West Norwood.
But founder Neill Roy says that Lambeth and Bromley councils, the local authorities for the cinemas, are ignoring “the bigger picture” that the CPIFF presents on those big screens, as they come after him demanding licensing fees for the first time since the festival was first staged in 2009.
“Filmmakers fly in from all across the world to spend their money in these boroughs,” Roy said this week.
“We sell out while other film festivals are empty with just filmmakers there. We sell out nearly every night. We do brilliant things for independent film and for the area, getting youngsters into work and inspired to go and make films themselves,” Roy said.
Roy and CPIFF had previously rated its own films prior to screenings. Now, Bromley and Lambeth want to charge £25 a film and £1.50 per minute to grant ratings before films are screens. With more than 130 films on the festival’s programme in 2025, that would cost the festival £6,500 – enough to end the event.
Roy said: “Our proudest legacy of inspiring children into the film industry – it will end. This would be devastating – it’s my passion, my love and I’m so proud of it.”
One of the previous attendees, Jasmin John, worked as an editor on the Netflix hit Adolescence, while another, Mykea Perry, a winner of a CPIFF Rising Star Award, has just graduated from the National Television and Film School.
The councils have claimed that there has been no change in their treatment of CPIFF. “Fees are charged to all organisations that ask us to classify their films,” a spokesperson for cash-strapped Lambeth Council told the BBC.
“They’re Draconian in applying their rules,” Roy said.
Celebrity endorsements: Paul Weller is one of several slebs who have visited, and enjoyed, screenings at CPIFF " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Weller-at-CPIFF-e1750757771594.jpg?fit=300%2C147&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Weller-at-CPIFF-e1750757771594.jpg?fit=640%2C314&ssl=1" class=" wp-image-205744" src="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Weller-at-CPIFF-e1750757771594.jpg?resize=383%2C188&ssl=1" alt width="383" height="188" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Weller-at-CPIFF-e1750757771594.jpg?w=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Weller-at-CPIFF-e1750757771594.jpg?resize=300%2C147&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Weller-at-CPIFF-e1750757771594.jpg?resize=150%2C74&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Weller-at-CPIFF-e1750757771594.jpg?resize=768%2C377&ssl=1 768w" sizes="(max-width: 383px) 100vw, 383px">
Celebrity endorsements: Paul Weller is one of several slebs who have attended, and enjoyed, screenings at CPIFF
Roy has launched a petition, in which he says: “After 16 years rating our own films, Bromley and Lambeth council licensing departments now demand they need to watch and rate all CPIFF films and charge us to do so, costing over £6,500. No film festival has this budget…
“A blanket 18 certificate is the only other option – if they are willing to offer it, otherwise CPIFF and what it does for the whole area will end. However, a blanket 18 will mean young creatives will never again be inspired to go on to amazing careers in the industry.”
And Roy added that CPIFF “does so much for the area; it should be supported and cherished”. He also highlighted that Lambeth Council, as part-owners of the West Norwood Picturehouse, gets a share of ticket, bar and catering revenues from the festival.
“Please urge Bromley and Lambeth councils to reconsider their licensing policies and make a meaningful difference to the lives of young creatives. Help bring the love of independent film to younger audiences… and help keep CPIFF ‘the world’s coolest film festival’ alive and well in the area.”
Bromley has admitted to the BBC that the council has “serious financial challenges”, a strong hint at the real reasons for the imposition of licensing charges.
Public appeal: Neill Roy, CIPFF founder " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-1-e1750757925153.jpg?fit=300%2C286&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-1-e1750757925153.jpg?fit=640%2C611&ssl=1" class="size-medium wp-image-205746" src="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-1-e1750757925153-300x286.jpg?resize=300%2C286&ssl=1" alt width="300" height="286" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-1-e1750757925153.jpg?resize=300%2C286&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-1-e1750757925153.jpg?resize=1024%2C977&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-1-e1750757925153.jpg?resize=150%2C143&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-1-e1750757925153.jpg?resize=768%2C733&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/insidecroydon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Crystal-Palace-International-Film-Festival-1-e1750757925153.jpg?w=1237&ssl=1 1237w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px">
Public appeal: Neill Roy, CIPFF founder
In a statement that contradicted itself in its first sentence, Bromley said: “There is no change in how the council has treated the film festival in over a decade, with the only change being that the film festival now want to include children in the audience, where legislation therefore needs to be complied with.
“Under the Licensing Act 2003, any premises licensed for the exhibition of films must ensure that all films shown carry a classification certificate from either the [British Board of Film Classification] or the local authority.
“The council currently has serious financial challenges of its own but we have, in previous years, revised application fees to support the festival and remain open to discussion about the way forward but we need to ensure the law is complied with, part of the aim of which is to protect children.”
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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