Where are the best independent cinemas in the UK

A.� There are dozens of independent cinemas still in existence up and down the country. In the coming month alone, Manchester's Cornerhouse hosts a Spanish film festival and Edinburgh's Filmhouse a Greek film festival; the Lovebytes digital film festival opens at Sheffield's Showroom and selections from last year's Sheffield documentary festival and the London Barbican's Japanese animation season continue to tour.

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A survey last year voted the Sheffield Showroom the best indie cinema in the country. It was closely followed by the Tyneside Cinema, the Screen at Reigate, the Bristol Watershed, the Edinburgh Cameo, the Nottingham Broadway, the Screen at Walton, East Finchley Phoenix and the Exeter Picture House.

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London's The Scala cinema was forced to close in 1993 after illegally playing A Clockwork Orange.

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Q.� Why do independent cinemas matter

A.� Independent cinemas have changed enormously over the last two decades. In the 1970s, the 'underground' cult spawned the 'midnight movie' where trendy audiences watched the Pink Flamingos or Night of the Living Dead after hours.

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Then the explosion of Jaws and Star Wars in Hollywood in the late 1970s and 1980s coincided with the spread of repertory and art-house specialist cinemas. These places began to show European and 'difficult' films, mostly from the US independent movement, that failed to get a foothold in high street cinemas.

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The most significant development in recent years began in the mid-1990s with the creation of "artplexes", multi-screen cinemas devoted to the best films from all over the world. Independent cinemas, while synonymous with classical film-making values, were usually a bit scruffy and rundown. The new ventures are every bit as sophisitcated as their multiplex cousins.

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Q.� How many people a year go to the cinema

A.� Last year, 156 million tickets were sold in UK cinemas - a level of attendance not seen since the 1970s. Audience analysts CAA predict this year's figure will be even better, with possibly as many as 164 million tickets sold.

The number of films around to watch, however, has declined. Thirty years ago, on a Saturday night in March, there were 71 films to choose from in London's West End; in March 2002, the total has goen down to 38.

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By Katharine MacColl