Are you sitting comfortably?

The deluge of incredible films this month is just outstanding: Birdman, Whiplash, the Theory of Everything, Foxcatcher.

Perfect. January is the ideal month to tuck yourself away in a nice dark room, with a nice big box of popcorn and forget about the cold and the rain outside.

And the Lexi cinema is the perfect place to do so. Not only is Lexi an independent. It’s an independent that gives 100% of its profits to charity and is staffed by passionate local volunteers. So whilst you’re enjoying yourself in a little corner of northwest London, far far away a South African community is also benefiting from your choice.

Lexi support The Sustainability Institute, a sustainable living and learning centre based in rural Stellenbosch, South Africa. The money raised goes towards supporting children in the village with providing school meals, creating after school clubs and developing solar power and water management systems.

And if you’re worried about feeling a little holier than thou, you can remedy that with an anti-detox visit to the cinema bar.

194b Chamberlayne Road, Kensal Rise, London NW10 3JU

“We are all different – but we share the same human spirit. Perhaps it’s human nature that we adapt – and survive.” Stephen Hawking, 2013