You know that bit in Toy Story 3 where Buzz, Woody and the gang are sliding into certain doom in the incinerator and you think: “Gosh, they might really do this” – then the aliens swoop in to save them with the claw?
It’s my fervent hope that old movie trope about the heroes being saved when all hope is gone applies to the Belmont Filmhouse.
The closure of this Granite City institution is a body blow to the cultural life of the north-east. But the devastating news came with a silver lining – the response of the people of the city.
The way folk have rallied round, flocked to meetings, and come forward with plans to save the Belmont – and its jobs – speaks volumes about the deep love and respect for this palace of dreams that has always been more than just a cinema.
Some of my treasured memories are settling into its deep plush seats to watch magic happen in front of me. This was where I saw recent classics like Dune and the reboot Star Wars films, and quirkier offerings like The Shape Of Water and The Dead Don’t Die.
I always chose the Belmont over national cinema chains because it had that feeling of being part of a family, something special and comforting.
And I enjoyed seeing the blockbusters knowing that the price of my tickets was also helping bring arthouse and world cinema to Aberdeen, the sort of movies where you can find real gems that will live for free in your head for some time to come.
For many people, the realisation that film exists beyond the likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe came on a wet Tuesday afternoon on Belmont Street, with some subtitled offerings from Korea.
The Belmont was also a hub for so many other art forms and festivals, a real gem for the likes of Granite Noir.
Cinemas are not just ‘nice to have’
I can’t imagine the Belmont not being there. Neither can so many people in Aberdeen, judging from the hundreds of folk who flocked to Krakatoa for a meeting to work out a way to save it.
The fact that local councillors and MSPs have become involved alludes to a political desire to keep the lights on at the cinema, along with the will of the people.
This passionate groundswell of support demonstrates a tangible change at the heart of life in Aberdeen. Not so long ago, a shut cinema would be met with a shrug.
📣 We are determined to save our cinema and make it sustainable for the future.
Follow our account for further updates on the campaign. #SaveBelmont ♥ 📽 pic.twitter.com/byLxAtxbDn
— Save The Belmont Cinema (@BelmontCinema) October 8, 2022
But people have come to realise that the arts – from film to music, theatre to gigs, galleries to festivals – are a bedrock on which we can build a better Aberdeen. These are things that are not just “nice to have”, but can bring joy, entertain us, makes us laugh, cry, think and even change the way we see the world for the better.
That is why the closure of the Filmhouse came as such a bitter blow, and that is why so many people are determined not to let it happen.
To turn to Toy Story again, the Belmont has a friend in us. All of us.
Scott Begbie is entertainment editor for The Press & Journal and Evening Express.
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