Iconic Establishments: The Labia Theatre (CPT)
The Labia on Orange Street in Cape Town is the oldest independent cinema in the country. It’s a place where you'll find young and old, your average Joe and cinephiles alike. It’s great for an evening date or a daytime loadshedding escape (yes, they have generators).
Named after Princess Labia, who cut the ribbon at the official opening on 16 May 1949, the space was initially a live performance theatre. It has since turned into a cultural institution for movie lovers, with four screens showing everything from recent Oscar winners and nominees to foreign and arthouse films, documentaries and cult classics (they recently screened Fight Club). The cinema is also known for hosting events, premieres, an annual horror festival, short film festivals and student films. That’s not all though, you can also book out one of their theatres for your own event or birthday party screening. The significance of having a space like this can’t be stressed enough as we move towards a more homogenous, big budget, Marvel-pilled, moviegoing experience with very limited to almost no low to medium budget movies getting big screen time - something that’s become exceedingly rare locally (the Labia being the only one left of its kind being a point in case example here) and internationally (the likes of Netflix and other studios have been buying out smaller, independent theatres in recent times).
The Labia has a fully licensed bar so you can sip on an alcoholic beverage of your choice while you watch a movie. We recommend their vodka or gin slush puppies in summer and their gluhwein in winter. On the food and snacks side, they have a cosy coffee bar with all sorts of home-made delicacies and baked goods as well as a ‘chocolate bar’ where you can get your usual cinema treats including popcorn, sweets and Coca-Cola in a glass bottle to add to the old school feel of the space. Once you’ve got your drink and snacks, make sure to enjoy some of it in the lovely covered terrace before your movie starts.
As a response to Covid, the Labia started a video-on-demand streaming service called Labia Home Screen where you pay to watch any one of 25 movies from a carefully curated list at home. Up until recently I lived around the corner from the Labia and regularly walked past or would go in and get my cinema fix. It’s been wonderful to see movie goers truly supporting this iconic establishment since lockdown restrictions have eased. After nearly 75 years this unique local mainstay shows no signs of slowing down and the city’s all the better for it. Long live the Labia!
Article by: Patrick Visser