A leading film maker is supporting one of the oldest cinemas in the country in its bid to stay open.

The Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley is known for its Art Deco style and single screen used to show mainly art house flicks – it also helps organise charity fundraisers and outings for children.

It can count among its patrons the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Kermode and is run by a charity as a community cinema.

The Phoenix Cinema Trust, the charity that saved the building in 1985 and has run it ever since, was in talks with Curzon Cinema last year with the intention of selling off the building to be part of a chain.

The trust was brought to this position by financial problems but after a meeting in autumn with staff and volunteers it was agreed to keep the cinema independent.

Now the trust is still struggling to keep the picture house open and needs to raise £50,000 until it can find other sources of revenue.

It has already managed to raise £30,000 of their goal of £50,000 and is now trying to raise £20,000 on crowdfunding site JustGiving in a bid to buy time to save the cinema.

Margaret O’Brian has been a trustee for the Phoenix Trust for six years. She said: “In the old days the Phoenix Cinema was the only picture house in the area and so it didn’t have so much competition.

“As a result, we were hovering above making a loss and we had gone through a lot of our reserves.

“This made us look at a possible takeover by Curzon Cinema and when it came out, we had a big public meeting and it was decided that we all wanted it to stay as an independent cinema.”

Ken Loach, filmmaker and Phoenix patron, said: “I am delighted that the Phoenix trustees and staff have declared their intention to make every effort to keep the cinema independent.

“The Phoenix, one of the oldest cinemas in the country, has a unique identity which combines quality programming with education and community activities for all ages.

“Please help the Phoenix rise again with your donations and support and enjoy visiting this special cinema.”