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Home / About / Volunteer / Meet our Staff - Katie Spooner

One of the things that makes the Electric Palace such a great place to visit is our fabulous, dedicated volunteer and staff team. 

So, who are the people who welcome you  to the cinema? Find out...meet Katie Spooner.

Name: Katie Spooner

What prompted you to become involved with the cinema?

I am a lifelong cinephile, and have just finished my MA thesis on British cinema. I am also very sentimental about independent cinemas, so as soon as I stepped inside the Electric Palace for a screening of Powell and Pressburger’s A Matter of Life and Death I knew I belonged!

How long have you worked at the cinema?

Since April 2024.

What's your favourite thing about the cinema?

The amazing volunteers and screeners that make it such a welcoming place to be.

Tell us about an experience at the cinema (not necessarily from at the Electric Palace).

My film collective (Cinelogue) programmed a party screening of Stop Making Sense – featuring my all-time favourite band, Talking Heads. By the end credits everyone was drenched with sweat from dancing. It was beautiful.

What film would you like to watch at the cinema?

Anything directed by Ken Russell, but ideally the uncut version of The Devils.

Have you ever gone to see a movie and wanted to watch it again immediately?

All the time! But the screenings at the BFI Film on Film Festival really stand out - there’s something about celluloid that gets me feeling really mushy. Seeing a pristine 35mm print of Jaws that had been gathering dust for decades felt like being a part of film history.

If you could go on a date night at the cinema with anyone living, dead or fictional who would it be and what would you watch?

I’d take Nicolas Cage to see a double bill of his own films Wild at Heart and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans – my favourite actor in two of my favourite directors’ films. I bet he’s got some good anecdotes.

Tell us about favourite film of yours.

As my friends can attest to, I can recite most of Muppet Treasure Island (and frequently do). I just think it’s perfect.

Tell us a good film to watch that makes you laugh out loud or blub your eyes out.

Punch Drunk Love for both laughing and crying. It’s transcendent.

What's a great sound track you listen to?

I’m obsessed with Michael Nyman. His soundtracks for A Zed & Two Noughts and Prospero’s Books are always on heavy rotation.

What's your favourite snack or drink at the cinema?

Peppermint tea, green tea if it’s a long film (boring, I know)

What's your favourite seat?

Right at the back, in the middle.

Finally, tell us something unusual about yourself.

My earliest memory is the trailer for Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas – I told you I was a lifelong cinephile…

Find out more about volunteering at the Electric Palace

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