The director of the Sundance film festival has said it is important that striking cinema workers are heard when they picket the opening night of the London event.
Picturehouse employees are to strike for two days during London’s Sundance film festival in a dispute over pay and union recognition.
John Cooper told the Press Association: “We do know that at Sundance we believe in freedom of speech so we really want to make sure that nothing interferes with that, that they are heard.
“I don’t know all the ins and outs of it but I know it’s been a struggle.”
Cooper confirmed he has spoken to representatives of the cinema chain about the planned picket and added: “Last year I talked to a lot of the strikers out of curiosity.
“They strike different here than they do in America. It’s very civilised here, they are very polite.”
Members of cinema workers’ union, Bectu, at four London cinemas in the Picturehouse chain will picket the opening night of the festival on Thursday outside Picturehouse Central near Piccadilly Circus in the capital.
They will also picket the festival on Saturday with workers from Central, Hackney, East Dulwich and Crouch End Picturehouses all expected to take part.
.@idriselba's standout directorial debut, @YardieFilm, fuses the hard-boiled gangster genre with a dramatic coming-of-age period piece. Catch its UK premiere at #SundanceLondon, 1 & 3 June 🇬🇧 https://t.co/9J9y5Feg1V pic.twitter.com/9gIP4B8vpu
— SundanceFilmFestival (@sundancefest) May 26, 2018
Sundance London will take place at Picturehouse Central until Sunday with the the likes of Idris Elba, Toni Collette and Ethan Hawke attending.
A spokesman for Picturehouse said it was “deeply disappointed” by the decision to strike during Sundance, labelling it “unnecessary and destructive”.
Workers claim the latest action in the dispute, which has been running for almost two years and relates to the London living wage, sick pay, maternity and paternity pay, and union recognition, is a result of Picturehouse failing to negotiate.
Last year the dispute received the support of several Hollywood stars including Sir Ian McKellen, Susan Sarandon, Andy Serkis and Andrew Garfield.
Picturehouse claimed only 8% of Bectu members had voted for the action and said they offered some of the best pay and benefits in the industry.
“It’s disappointing to see a strike during Sundance Film Festival: London which is a celebration of independent film and a catalyst for a more inclusive film industry,” they said.
“In London we pay the equivalent of £9.99 per hour in an eight-hour shift as we choose to pay for breaks unlike many in the industry.
“Many staff earn significantly more after monthly bonuses.
“This is considerably higher than the national living wage/minimum wage of £7.50 per hour,” the spokesman added.
Obi Saiq, a striker at Hackney Picturehouse, said: “We take no pleasure in disrupting the festival but unless Picturehouse is willing to sit down and talk to its worker, we have no choice.
“We staff a chain of cinemas which makes over a hundred million pounds’ worth of profit but we go home to flats we can’t afford to rent, and regularly have to choose between heating and food.”