Kenny Gold: Taking the helm at the Phoenix Picturehouse

To its loyal fans, the Phoenix Picturehouse in Jericho is more than a cinema, it’s a cherished part of the community So, hearing there’s a new general manager is like finding out there’s going to be a remake of a favourite movie.

You want to like it but you can’t help worrying.

But within minutes of chatting to Kenny Gold, it’s blindingly obvious he’s perfect for the part.

The 42-year-old fell in love with the big screen while growing up in Scotland. “I got my love for cinema in the 1970s, watching Star Wars films.

He paused, slightly embarrassed: “I suppose I shouldn’t say Star Wars but it did have a significant impact on me and every other kid of that era.”

Now older and wiser, his favourite film is Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane. “I never tire of watching it,” he said.

“It was made in 1941 but it is still so relevant.

“I come from a background of film-making and that was ahead of its time in the way Orson Welles used the camera.

“But I suppose, for pure cinema enjoyment, the Cohen brothers always entertain and for me, their best is The Big Lebowski.

“And I’d have to say Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction,” he added.

His film-buff credentials are impressive.

Not only can he talk the talk with an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject, he studied film-making at Edinburgh College of Art. Originally, his plan was to go into graphic design but an end-of-year film project impressed his tutors so much, they persuaded him to concentrate on that medium.

He recalled a trip to Brazil’s biggest city São Paulo, where he had gone to shoot a video diary.

“We were in this karaoke bar where someone was belting out Elvis Presley’s Are You Lonesome Tonight? at full volume, when we heard what sounded like gunfire and thought we were being shot at. “The manager told everyone to get under the tables but while this was happening, the karaoke person just carried on singing. “I was terrified but also thinking ‘I wish I had brought my camera’.”

As it turned out, it was the club’s bouncers shooting into the air outside to scare off a couple of would-be car-jackers. “It would have made a great scene in a film,” he added. “I have always had a strong visual sense and that’s what I love about cinema, I enjoy shooting and seeing it transposed on to the screen.”

Originally from Glasgow, his stockbroker father died when he was nine.

He spent six years at a remote boarding school in the Highlands, where the emphasis was on an outdoor, rugged lifestyle.

He joked: “I grew up with sisters so my mum thought she should toughen me up.” Wryly, he compares the experience to the 1969 Malcolm McDowell film If, which tells the story of a revolution led by a rebellious school boy at a private school where there is virtual rule by mob.

He admits to being “a bit geeky” when it comes to frames and presentation. “As manager, you need to keep up with the changes but digital doesn’t have the romanticism of 35mm.

“It is a better viewing experience, but emotionally it’s harder to connect with.”

His career direction changed after being lured to work at his local arthouse cinema in Edinburgh, then called The Cameo but now a Picturehouse.

“Indie cinema was big in the late 1990s and early 2000s and The Cameo was very much customer-first cinema that had, and still has, a real connection with customers.

“That really appealed to me.

“Financially, I know how difficult it is to be a freelance film maker, so when the position of duty manager came up, I took it.” He also chalked up valuable experience at Aberdeen’s Belmont Cinema, now another Picturehouse, where he spent nine years as assistant manager.

Promotion to acting general manager took him back to The Cameo and then, when the post of general manager at Oxford’s Phoenix arose, he jumped at it.

“It’s particularly special because this was the company’s first cinema when it became a Picture House in 1989 when Lyn Goleby and Tony Jones started everything. “Lyn still has a real fondness for this cinema.”

Despite the huge distance, he has settled well, although he is living in Eynsham at the moment because Oxford is “crazily expensive”.

He takes over at a slightly sensitive time in the independent company’s history.

Seven months ago, multiplex giant Cineworld bought the Picturehouse chain of 21 cinemas, something that has made many indie cinema-goers nervous.

Cineworld has been at pains to say it will not mess about with the running of Picturehouse and says the new arrangement will benefit both parties.

“Cineworld are keen to learn from us,” Kenny said.

“They are supplying a lot of funding which will allow us to do up the building. “We will be able to get the roof replaced and spruce up the foyer and bar here.”

He also plans to introduce a range of foods for sharing, such as deli boards in the bar, and open it up during the day, so Phoenix fans can pop in for a coffee and a slice of cake.

So what does he believe makes the perfect cinema experience? “It’s an ambience that allows you to feel and have a connection with the history of the cinema,” he explained.

“The content is also crucial and we have the best programme planners here.

“Another, is being able to enjoy a glass of beer or wine while watching a film. “It’s a more civilised experience and that’s what I’ve enjoyed about independent cinemas over the years.”