Community Cinema: Aliens

About Community Cinema: Aliens

The character of Lt. Ellen Ripley (portrayed by Sigourney Weaver) from the Alien sci-fi film franchise, is frequently celebrated for being a groundbreaking female protagonist in a male-dominated action genre. Ellen Ripley's resilience, resourcefulness, and strength in survival, made her an icon, challenging traditional gender roles in cinema and paving the way for more strong female leads. As Aliens celebrates its 40th anniversary, and in the evening before International Women's Day, join us for a screening of this legendary classic.

Synopsis:
Aliens is the sequel to the 1979 science fiction horror film Alien, and the second film in the Alien franchise. Set in the far future, it stars Sigourney Weaver as Lt. Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of an alien attack on her ship. When communications are lost with a human colony on the moon where her crew first encountered the alien creatures, Ripley agrees to return to the site with a unit of marines to investigate.

Aliens (1986)
Directed by: James Cameron. 
Film running time: 2h 11m. 
This screening is strictly for ages 18+. 
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction. 
Langauge: English. 
Subtitles: English SDH. 
Main cast: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen.
BBFC Rating: 18. 
Film trailer available on Youtube here.

BBFC Content Advice (SPOILERS)
Violence:
There are scenes in which strong violence is combined with horror as characters are attacked by the creatures and defend themselves with futuristic weapons. One scene features a creature bursting from a woman's abdomen in a bloody manner, and another in which a creature attack results in blood splashing onto the windows of a spacecraft. As the creatures are blasted with gunfire they explode apart, but the injury detail is unrealistic and shown as showers of white liquid. Similarly fantastical injury is contained in a scene when an android is torn in half by a creature's claw.

Language:
The film contains strong language ('f**k', 'motherf**ker').

Refreshments
Tea, coffee and squash will be available, along with sweet and salty popcorn. Small cash donations towards these are welcome but not required.
You can also bring your own soft drinks or snacks, however no alcohol is permitted. Please also refrain from bringing any hot or strong smelling food items. Thank you.

Duncan Place Access Information

• Please let us know if you have any access needs e.g. if you require a seat with armrests, if you need space for a wheelchair, or if there is anything else that you think we should know.  
• English SDH descriptive subtitles will be onscreen during the film.
• There is ramped access into the building. The event will be held on the ground floor of Duncan Place Community Hub and is wheelchair accessible.
• There are two individual toilets on the ground floor with one being wheelchair accessible.
• We have a mix of padded seats and hard plastic seats. Seats with arm rests are also available if needed. We have a limited supply of chair cushions available on request.
• There is foyer space and outdoor space for those that might need to break away to a quieter area during the film.

We also have a page on the Euan's Guide website here, including a video showing entry to the building.  

If there is anything we can do to help your visit, or if you'd like a chat about the space beforehand, please get in touch by emailing events@duncanplace.org or phoning 0131 364 4351.

Getting Here
We can be found on Google Maps here > https://goo.gl/maps/qNZeEKWL1uhdQRBd7

Duncan Place is a few minutes’ walk from Leith Walk, Duke Street, Great Junction Street and Easter Road. This area is very well served with buses, including 1, 7, 14, 16, 21, 25, 34, 35 & 49.

www.lothianbuses.com has a journey planner.

The closest tram stop is Foot Of The Walk.

Bike racks are available in our outdoor space. Please bring a secure lock. We do not have any to loan out & bikes and scooters are not allowed in the building. Bikes and scooters are left at your own risk and Duncan Place will not accept any responsibility for any damage or theft. CCTV does cover the bike racks.

Duncan Place has 1 disabled parking space and 1 further space alongside the exterior fencing, both available on a first come basis.

Parking bays have been painted on the road outside the building and on-street (card only) pay and display meters have been installed by City of Edinburgh Council, at a rate of £3.80 per hour, Monday to Friday 8:30am until 5:30pm. Onstreet parking outside our building is currently free at weekends. 

There are also yellow zig zags on the street. Again, please check signage but at the time of writing it is free to park on the zigs zags after 4pm Mon to Fri and all day on the weekends.

Duncan Place is part of the Local Cinema network.
Local Cinema is a network of community cinemas across Edinburgh, led by WHALE Arts. They support film screenings co-curated with and for local communities across a range of community spaces in the city, including WHALE Arts; North Edinburgh Arts, Duncan Place Community Hub, Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Space @ Broomhouse Hub, Craigmillar Now and The Crannie Community Hub. The latest Local Cinema shared community cinema programme runs from August 2025 – March 2026. Tickets available directly at venues or via this link: https://linktr.ee/localcinemaedin 
Local Cinema is supported by the City of Edinburgh Council.