An independent cinema in Romford has launched a £10,000 appeal to "help keep the lights on".
Lumiere, based in The Mercury Shopping Centre, has set up a Crowdfunder and posted about it on its Facebook page yesterday (August 26).
It said that the money raised will go towards paying its energy bill.
The Facebook post said: "Increasing prices would move us in the wrong direction.
"Instead, we are launching a new Crowdfunder and an in-cinema raffle, based directly on what the community has suggested.
"From tomorrow, you will be able to buy raffle tickets in person at the cinema (cash or card). The draw will be in just over a fortnight."
The fundraiser comes a week after Romford Film Trust chair Spencer Hawken took to Facebook to announce that Lumiere would be closing due to a "dispute" with the cinema's electricity provider.
However, only a matter of hours later Spencer posted again saying "crisis averted".
He filmed a Facebook live video and thanked the community for messages of support and even offers to help financially that he had received.
The Crowdfunder description said: "Our goal is to raise enough funds to significantly reduce our energy bill."
Lumiere opened in February last year and, according to its appeal, is struggling to clear an older debt it says it inherited.
Problems during its first year affected its income, according to the Crowdfunder, although it described its present operation as "profitable and viable".
Lumiere said it has screened more than 500 classic films since opening, alongside new releases, art house films, foreign language films and event cinema.
It has also hosted almost 90 independent film premieres, according to the appeal.
The cinema described itself as a "valuable community hub for organisations that deal with loneliness and isolation, SEND needs, health issues, and have clubs for lots of different organizations".
The Crowdfunder description added: "We've become so much more than a cinema, and we have touched many people in many ways to show them that a cinema can be much more than a place to watch films, from concerts, to quiz nights, wine tasting to book launches, parties to a place for charities to raise funds."
Lumiere said the £10,000 target is not the full amount needed, but would reduce the period during which it remains tied to the payment plan.
At the time of writing, just less than £2,000 has been raised.
It said any money raised above the target would also go towards the electricity bill.
The appeal offers donation options, as well as other ways for supporters to contribute and receive something "in return".
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