As affordable places to socialise become harder to find, a new London film club is giving young people an alternative to pubs, Pilates and scrolling.
For many Londoners, the working week follows an all-too-familiar rhythm; another overpriced pint after work, dragging yourself to that £40 fitness class you wish you’d cancelled, or simply going straight home to doomscroll and wonder where the entire evening went.
As the city’s social life becomes increasingly defined by alcohol, wellness trends and social media, or a rather unfortunate combination of the three, finding affordable third spaces to unwind and connect with new people is becoming more difficult than ever.
Research suggests Londoners are increasingly losing the spaces where those connections once happened. While Andy Burnham has promised a cut in business rates for the country’s pubs and social venues, ONS data reports a 15% decline in the total number of pubs across England and Wales since the COVID-19 pandemic; that is roughly 6,000 closed down establishments in the past six years.
Third Place Index also found that from 2003 to 2023, time spent socialising in person fell by more than 20%, with data showing many young adults report feeling lonelier than previous generations, highlighting a growing demand for third spaces at a time when they are becoming harder to find.
But three friends are trying to tackle that.
Good Film Hunting, a community-led film club using cinema to revive London’s disappearing third spaces without breaking the bank, has become a monthly ritual amongst a growing number of young Londoners in an aim to restore connection beyond the workplace or the pub, and build a new community of young film lovers.
London-based trio, Hugo Brown, Tom Couffon and Monty Pritchard founded Good Film Hunting in the wake of run clubs, reformer pilates and thirsty Thursdays, realising the capital offered limited activities to do mid-week that did not involve drinking or sport:
“Film is an excellent medium for exploring different cultures and sparking conversations amongst friends”, Monty tells me;
“Community is at the heart of what we do, we have put great effort into forming a community that is open to everyone and where everyone has a voice.”
Research published in April 2026 by mental health charity, YoungMinds, found that of 1,500 young people surveyed aged between 16-25, 47% said that being part of a community improved their mental health, with 45% also saying that community helped them to make friends.
Paul Noblet, Head of External Affairs and Research at YoungMinds, said: “We’re seeing a generation of young people weighed down by pressures that are harming their mental health, from academic demands and inequality to the online world and the rising cost of living.
“This can leave them feeling isolated, impacting both friendships and relationships. At the same time, too many spaces where young people come together, connect and build relationships, have disappeared from communities across the country.
He adds: “For some young people, the cost of activities and socialising can also make it harder to spend time with friends and feel connected to their communities.”
For the friends, cinema has always been more than entertainment however; it’s a way of exploring different cultures, starting conversations, and bringing people together without the hefty price tag.
While all now based in London, Tom is French, Monty is Italian, and Hugo spent much of his childhood growing up across Asia. Together, the trio bring a broad international influence when it comes to the films they showcase.
Tom tells me that this has led the trio to highlight films the audience may not have necessarily come across, or ones that are not usually shown within British culture, making cinema more inclusive to different communities.
Raised on old French films, Tom’s movie education began in childhood, developing an early appreciation for cinema.
“They were films you wouldn’t normally see in the British environment. There has always been that curiosity there.
“Each of us are quite international and, therefore, our style and curation draw from different corners of the world and our lived experiences.”
Hugo, Tom and Monty each take it in turns every month to choose a movie they want to showcase, initially deciding on a theme before choosing a specific film that allows them to spotlight stories from across the world—something that feels particularly fitting in one of the world’s most multicultural cities.
So far, films have varied from American, Japanese, Brazilian and Palestinian.
But the trio are equally conscious that discovering new cinema shouldn’t feel intimidating, and not everyone wants to tackle an intense, slow burn movie, especially after a long day in the office:
“We get it, life gets busy” Monty adds, “And a three-hour pretentious film in a language you can’t speak without any English subtitles, or even sound for that matter isn’t always what the evening calls for.”
Instead, the friends ensure they select films that are approximately only 90 minutes to ensure viewers have time to connect post-watch.
Monty continues: “We then have a discussion after, where we encourage people to meet new faces, something that is also quite tricky these days, and it operates as a great conversation starter.
“Community is at the heart of what we do, so we have put great effort into forming a community that is open to everyone and where everyone has a voice.”
YoungMinds’ research shows that having access to community can help young people make friends, build confidence and develop a sense of belonging, all of which supports mental health, but too many young people have had opportunities for connection and belonging taken away.
Paul at YoungMinds adds: “As a society we must create communities where young people thrive. They need safe, welcoming spaces where they can spend time together and feel connected to their communities.”
Jake Carr, 25, has now attended two of Good Film Hunting’s screenings.
He said: “I’m not a big drinker and find London to be very booze heavy, so the film club is a great alternative to post-work drinks.
“The films have opened my eyes to a world of cinema that I definitely hadn’t seen before, and it was really fun to debrief with everyone afterwards. I will be going back.”
The founders are currently investing all of their profits back into the club to improve each event each month and grow their community.
Hugo said: “I think people have appreciated the way in which each event has been better than the last.”
The trio added their ultimate goal is to grow organically and help people explore cinema while catering to everyone by choosing films that are thought-provoking, inclusive, entertaining, and a little different.
Tom explained: “We want to have a community that is as broad in reach as possible; in age, background & culture, while bringing people together to create a network, bringing people together who wouldn’t necessarily meet otherwise.”
In a city that is increasingly becoming more expensive to socialise in, and where such places are becoming more difficult to find, Good Film Hunting is offering a unique bridge to this unfortunate gap.
While it won’t solve the issue on its own, for a few young Londoners filling the screens each month, it offers something increasingly valuable: somewhere to go, something to do, and someone new to talk to.
Good Film Hunting’s next showing is on 29th October 2026 at Pedallers Corner, Dalston.
Tickets are available via Clyx, the community building app, and can be found via the club’s Instagram, @goodfilm_hunting.
Main image credit: Hugo Brown
Join the discussion