“What is the first film you will screen at the Belmont?”
It’s arguably the question I am asked most as one of the team working to reopen The Belmont Cinema.
For the longest time, it felt like it would be tempting fate to provide an answer – as though it could jinx the entire project to do so before the doors opened. However, now that the new branding, designs and fundraising campaign have gone public, I feel more secure in my response. It feels as though it is now a case of “when”, not “if”.
For many in the group, the answer is simple: Tetris. A movie that was filmed in Aberdeen, but never actually shown on any of the silver screens in the Silver City. It’s an excellent choice, and one that has the backing of the film’s director, Jon S Baird.
My heart, however, would love to see Cinema Paradiso light up the big screen on (re)opening night.
There are many reasons for selecting the Italian classic that tells the story of a man reflecting back on his formative years spent working in his small town’s local cinema as a projectionist. And it’s not because I am currently learning Italian on Duolingo, or because it’s one of my favourite films of all time, or even because during my 13 years at the Belmont Picturehouse, I ran many, many shows on the 35mm projectors.
It is because watching this film reminds you of the importance of cinema. In both the movie and in real life, cinemas are a place where people come together – to laugh, to cry, or to fall in love. It is a place that can give them their first job, or even inspire them to become a filmmaker.
Glasgow Film Theatre recently screened Cinema Paradiso as part of the cinema’s 50th anniversary celebrations. It was a delight to rewatch it with a sold out crowd in one of my favourite cinemas.
Despite the many struggles the industry has faced over the last few years, the GFT has continued to thrive by putting its audiences and communities at the heart of everything it does. To me, it is the blueprint of what the Belmont can be, and that visit provided fuel to the fire to ensure our cinema’s successful return.
In the film, the Cinema Paradiso suffers a temporary closure. Initially, all seems lost, until it is reopened thanks to the support and financial backing from a member of the local community.
The Belmont is currently at that point in its own story. A community that needs an independent cinema, and an independent cinema that needs its community.
An overwhelmingly positive response
I have written previously on how the story of trying to save the Belmont feels like the plot of a Hollywood movie. In a way, the trustees of the charity have stepped behind the camera to become the production team working on that movie.
During the last 21 months, at times it has felt like our team has been working inside a bubble. Huddled together in cafes, church halls or over Zoom, drafting business plans, completing funding applications, actively debating over floor layouts, carpet patterns, and seats with cup-holders.
All of it has been done with the wider audience and community in mind, hoping that they will buy into our vision for the cinema.
As a film critic attending festivals such as Cannes and Venice, I know all too well that the response to those initial press screenings and world premieres can make or break a film’s reputation and potential box office success. That is why it was so nerve-racking to be in the Douglas Hotel ballroom last month, the shoe firmly on the other foot, as I looked out at a sea of faces who all had a genuine love and interest in the Belmont, ready to try and sell them on our plans.
Thankfully, the reaction on the day inside the room and the subsequent public response has been overwhelmingly positive, instantly making all of the stress, the late nights, the 30 to 40-hour weeks on top of a day job and the complete evaporation of a social life worth it.
Time for you to play your starring role
With that, the script has been written and the casting call is live. Now is the time for the public to become the main characters in the Belmont’s story – to play a starring role in its triumphant return.
Cinema Paradiso was originally envisioned as an obituary for the old small-town picturehouses that were giving way to larger, flashier multiplexes. Instead, it turned into a love letter and rallying cry.
That call is being heard loud and clear in Aberdeen, and the people are answering. The passion of the team behind Belmont Community Cinema is being echoed by those showing their support, spreading the word and donating to the Crowdfunder.
Together, we can all play our part and have our names up on the big screen as the opening credits roll on a reimagined, refurbished and reopened Belmont, proud that Aberdeen will have a cinematic paradise once again.
Dallas King is a film critic, writer and podcaster from Aberdeen, and part of Belmont Community Cinema
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