A POP up cinema in Rhiwbina has won £4,493 from the Lottery fund to help to continue showing films in the community.
The project, which screens a different film every month, was set up last year to recreate the old Monico cinema in Rhiwbina. The Monico, an independent cinema, closed in 2003 because of pressures from new multiplexes arriving in the city.
Volunteer for the Monico Movies project, Sue Harding, 48, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the funding. Monico has been such a huge success and the community’s response has been fantastic.”
Until now, the team have had to hire equipment for their film nights held in the Canolfen Community Centre, from Chapter Arts.
Sue said, the funding has enabled the team to buy their own equipment: “We’ve just bought our own projector and with our own equipment we will be able to put on shows more regularly. We’d love to expand and appeal to even more groups of people.”
The cinema has just celebrated its first birthday party, to which everyone in the area was invited. Former film-maker, Harley Jones, 71, set up the project with his wife Viv, and six volunteers from the community last year.
The project’s fun, family environment, which encourages the audience to sing ‘Just one Cornetto’ as ice creams are served in an interval before each film, is an 80-seat sell out every month.
Sue Harding, said the cinema has played an important role for the elderly community over the last year: “We want to appeal to everybody of all ages, so we show a real range of films. People are watching things they would never have thought to watch before.”
Monico will next be showing the Steven Spielberg film, Bridge of Spies, on Saturday November 12th. Tickets can be bought from shops in the village, which Monico have called their box offices. These include the Honeypot newsagent, Deri Stores and Ginger Whites.
For more information about Monico Movies, visit https://monicomovies.co.uk/.
