A new independent cinema has opened its doors insider a former cotton mill. The Spinners Mill in Leigh has been transformed by a dedicated team into Leigh Film Factory.
The launch event tonight (Thursday) is set to wow punters as the independent cinema hosts guest speakers Alison Mckenzie-Folan, CEO of Wigan Council, Sally Folkard, Film Hub North Strategic Manager, and Jo Platt, Patron for Leigh Film Society. Their first official showings will be on Saturday where Encanto will play in the morning, Back To The Future in the afternoon and Cinema Paradiso in the evening - all of which are almost sold out.
In what has been dubbed as ‘an exciting time for north west cinema’, development director Elizabeth Costello is keen to show the people of Wigan that cinema is for all.
“Cinema is really important to the community because it is a way of bringing people together,” she said. “Film as an art form people can connect with, something they can engage with. We want to bring together a collection of films and find something that will push boundaries.
“Film is for everyone. At the moment it is too expensive for some people and we want to make cinema affordable again.
“We want to make this a place to visit not just for film and use it for just having a coffee and talking about what is coming up in the future. It is not just about film.
“We want to start a conversation about film. It is going to be an exciting time for the north west.”
The woodwork in the cinema has taken months to perfect - with their green ethos playing a central role in the building work. All the wood used has been taken from the mill itself and the cinema seats have been recycled from elsewhere making this space sustainable.
The cinema will host special events for children like ‘Book to Film’ which will see kids read a book then watch it on the big screen afterwards - comparing the two versions. There are also plans for autism friendly showings as well as special screenings for foreign language films.
Leigh Film Society will host the Wigan and Leigh Film Festival next month where the society looks to celebrate and showcase up-and-coming talent from across the world. This will be a recurring festival each year now they are officially the home of the festival.
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