A new Aviemore Community Cinema aims to spark conversation and excitement among local cinema lovers;.
Hannah Bailey, a filmmaker, has teamed up with her husband, Rupert Shanks, to bring the Cairngorm Community Cinema (CCC) to life.
After months of planning, the 39-year-old – who has lived in the area for four years – is excited to launch a community-driven project that connects locals through film.
With support from Film Hub Scotland, they secured funding, and Spey Valley Cinema has generously offered its venue once a month to showcase important, thought-provoking movies for the community.
Launching this week with the film The Outrun, starring Saoirse Ronan, more than 140 people attended the opening event – a record turnout.
Hannah told The P&J the project came about during a networking event where she met Grazina Scuckaite of Film Hub Scotland.
They spoke about community cinemas in other places like Grantown-on-Spey and Kingussie, as well as the Screen Machine.
Hannah said: “We thought to ourselves ‘Why is there not a community cinema in Aviemore?’ Because that is something we would personally love and we know many other people in the community would benefit from.
“I like to take on a lot of creative projects, so this just felt natural and for the past year we have been working on the Cairngorm Community Cinema.”
Hannah called it a “passion project” as she is a lover of cinema and wanted to bring independent films to her community.
She believes there is an “appetite” for more regular cultural events and activities as more creative people moving to the Cairngorms.
While they could have gone with big-budget action films, the team decided to bring more thought-provoking films that had ties with the community.
For example The Outrun is set in Orkney and explores themes of recovery and nature.
“Every film we show will have something very interesting to our community here,” she said.
Hannah has also been in contact with special guests who are eager to show their support for the cinema, including TV presenter Edith Bowman.
‘Some films deserve to be viewed on the big screen’
Hannah was unsure how the community cinema would be received but is “delighted” with the response, with people wanting something “fresh” in Aviemore.
Streaming services have hit the cinema industry hard, with people more inclined to watch from the comfort of their own homes.
However, she argues the “sociable” aspect of going to the cinema can still win over people.
She said: “I love to stream films and series at home, but really you are only sharing that creative production with yourself, but what’s so special about cinema is you are sharing it with lots of people you don’t even know.
“Cinema will never truly die because you will come back to realising some films deserve to be viewed on the big screen.
“Even though you sit there in silence for two hours watching the film, in the end, there is always a conversation about your thoughts on the film.”
The Cairngorm Community Cinema will offer Q&A sessions before and after the film to maximise the “shared experience”.
The next viewing will be The Kneecap, on December 10.
Conversation