Brixton's cute Ritzy cinema is part of of the small Picturehouse chain which owns 18 cinemas across England and Scotland.

I feel very lucky to have the Ritzy as my local cinema. In comparison to London city centre cinemas it's cheaper, has friendly and knowledge staff, a relaxed, arty atmosphere and a great bar. It often hosts Q&As with actors and directors, live screenings of operas and other concerts and regularly participates in niche film festivals.

Each Picturehouse cinema offers a membership system which is great value for money and makes a perfect gift too.

A single membership costs £30 per year (£22 for concessions) while two people living at the same address can get a joint membership for £50.

Each membership comes with three free tickets to use at your local Picturehouse (and given regular tickets cost £9 then this almost covers the cost of the membership). You also get £2 off full price tickets, discounts at other Picturehouse cinemas, a printed programme mailed to you regularly, discounts on food at the Ritzy bar and you don't pay any booking fee on cinema bookings made over the phone or online.

I've just renewed my membership mainly to take advantage of the free preview screenings of upcoming releases which take place occasionally. These are usually on Sunday mornings and are a great way to check out films you might not otherwise pay to see. Recent highlights include the brilliant Looking For Eric and the fantastic French thriller Anything For Her.

Whether you fancy a membership or not, it's also worth signing up for the Ritzy's weekly email newsletter which contains details of all screenings and music events in the bar.

So if there's a Picturehouse cinema near you, consider a membership as a gift for a film fan this year - you'll be in their good books for a very long time!