It’s no secret that cinema is experiencing a historically difficult era. The pandemic switched the cameras off, while strikes in Hollywood have prevented the industry from capitalising on the momentum built by the Barbenheimer craze.
Closer to home, it’s been an even more brutal time for independent filmhouses.
A 2023 survey from then Independent Cinema Office found that 42% of independent cinemas expect to close in the next three to twelve months, while nearly half (45%) said they would make a loss in the 2023/24 financial year.
Sadly for Aberdonians, the much-loved Belmont Filmhouse never lasted that long.
“The sudden nature of the cinema closing, it’s maybe too emotive a word but I know for many people, audiences, staff, it was devastating to see it shut in that way.”
That’s Sarah Dingwall, she’s tasked with fundraising millions of pounds for the Belmont Community Cinema to reopen the famous Aberdeen institution.
DONATE: Join The Belmont Community Cinema's crowdfunding campaign here
“Everyone’s got a story about going to the Belmont, not only what they saw there and what happened, but who they were with and the feeling of closeness of seeing a film there,” she said.
“I saw this [job] come up and because it’s a cause close to my heart I was very keen to get involved and I think there’s a groundswell of support for it. I’ve not spoken to anyone who doesn’t think the Belmont is, and will be, a wonderful thing.
“It made me think it’s achievable, a brilliant project to be a part of and something good for Aberdeen.”
The new look Belmont Community Cinema. Image: Tinto Architecture
Sarah’s background in fundraising is extensive. She played a key role in the £57m Sir Duncan Rice library at the University of Aberdeen, as well as working on projects for Robert Gordon University.
The first £2m for the Belmont Community Cinema will go towards a “thoughtful refurbishment, heating, ventilation and the audio and cinema equipment”, according to Sarah.
She added: “We have also raised money for revenue funding but that’s a different stream.
“I have absolutely no doubt that we’ll raise the money, we’ve made a good start already.
“I think we’re at £365,000 and that’s come from a mix of donors, grant funding, Aberdeen City Council and, most importantly to me, the generous foresight of people in Aberdeen, people who love the cinema. Community groups as well have given back.”
Things are progressing so well that there’s ambitions for bums to be in seats in the Belmont as early as next year.
Image: Tinto Architecture.
Not long ago, that felt like a distant dream for the group’s chair, Jacob Campbell.
The North-east film fanatic was one of the founders of the original campaign to save the cinema, which launched just hours after it closed.
“We've been on a journey,” he said, underselling the sheer volume of work he and his colleagues have put into this project.
He continued: “We started back in October 2022 after the previous operation went to administration and it was about a community coming together and saying: ‘well, actually, we can have nice things in Aberdeen, and we deserve to have these things.’
“Now, as we get further on, we've just launched this fundraising campaign which I'm sure that the people of Aberdeen are going to respond to positively.
“It's becoming very, very real that we can have this back. We can have an independent cinema in Aberdeen.
“We don't just have to accept a managed decline and continuing with things getting slightly worse, and we can actually have nice things.
“I think that's the kind of mood in Aberdeen at the moment. We've been down, but we're on the way back up again. And that's a great thing for the city.”
When the wheels were put in motion and the campaign picked up steam, Jacob and co were quick to recruit a series of experts, including Sarah, to help them on their journey.
In June, they unveiled their new branding.
Image: FortyTwo Studio
“The guys at FortyTwo Studio have been fantastic with us, they've really led us on a journey to make this this new identity for what will become a focal point of culture in Aberdeen again.
“We delved deep into everything that the new Belmont brands needs to do, to help us make the transition from a fundraising campaign to successful reopening of the cinema, encapsulating our core themes of film, education, community and customer experience”
“Their ethos is very much around the community and wanting to see good things happen in Aberdeen, so it was quite a good fit when they came on board.”
Throughout the entire process, the group has sought to work with local people and local companies to deliver for a local audience.
“We've also just unveiled our new floor plans for what each of the floors is going to look like in the new cinema,” Jacob added.
“Tinto Architecture has led us through that one. It's been, at times, a frustrating process, but that's because we want to get it right.”
The designs show a well-lit, retro-inspired space facing onto Belmont Street, with a bright kiosk space leading into a classical looking theatre.
The basement bar has a chic, intimate look, ideal to relax before or after a film.
“We really, really want to make sure that everybody can have a great time in this venue and making sure it's a cinema that everybody in Aberdeen can be proud of.
“[Tinto Architecture] has led us through that process to talk to quantity surveyors, to design what the cinema is going to look like. Everything from finding the right materials, to making it the most sustainable operation possible.
“We've assembled a really, really good team.”
Plans are also being drawn up for community outreach when the cinema is open and operational.
The Station House Media Unit (SHMU) is a community anchor organisation, supporting residents in the seven regeneration areas of Aberdeen in radio and video production, traditional and on-line publications, music production and digital inclusion.
They’ve teamed up with the Belmont as its education partner.
Designs for the second-floor of the facility show a welcoming, open space with SHMU branding and colours clear throughout.
Jacob said: “Murray [Dawson, chief executive] reached out to us quite early on in this project, once things were getting moving.
The SHMU reception. Image: Tinto Architecture.
“We're very, very excited to be working with them. They are testament to the values that they hold dear. They empower communities, they go out, they give people the skills that they need to get on in life.
“We can give back to the next generation, and if we can do that on the top floor at the Belmont in partnership with SHMU I think that's a really exciting thing for Aberdeen, particularly as we don't know maybe what the economies of the future in Aberdeen are going to look like.”
Key to the Belmont’s mission, and central to absolutely everything they do, is community.
Jacob said, proudly: “This will be the first time that the Belmont is going to be operated out of Aberdeen since about the 1960s and that's a really exciting and wonderful thing.”
He continued: “It's testament to the team that we've managed to put together. It's testament to the community that we've managed to build. And I think that's the thing that's going to make it stand out from everywhere else.
“The new operation of the Belmont, will be rooted in the communities that we seek to serve, bringing people good cinema, putting our communities on screen, and making sure that everybody has the opportunity to see themselves on screen, but also to see the things that they value on screen as well.”
In spite of troubles facing cinema, the team at the Belmont have a structured, researched plan in place that has no reason not to succeed.
The creative sector has struggled in Aberdeen, in Scotland, and further afield, since the pandemic, but the Belmont Community Cinema could be the catalyst to change.
The final question posed to both Jacob and Sarah, arguably the biggest of the lot: ‘What film would you show first when the cinema reopens?’
“It would probably be Cinema Paradiso,” Sarah said.
“It’s a film about someone who loves cinema, who opens a cinema, and it shows how important the cinema is to a community.”
Jacob opted for an option closer to home.
“Tetris, by John Baird.
“He's a local boy done good.”
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