Birks Cinema – A Year On

thebirkscinema As community initiatives go, the resurrection of The Birks Cinema is an inspirational story. Situated proudly on the corner of Aberfeldy’s main square, from the moment it opens its doors at 10am, this is a place where locals from throughout highland perthshire meet for coffee and conversation, enjoying breakfast or lunch, or joining in with one of the many cultural, recreational or musical activities that the venue hosts each week. You can even see a film! A changing weekly programme includes independent releases, the latest blockbusters, live performances from New York, Covent Garden or the National Theatre and often something of special, local interest on natural history, landscapes or Scottish stories. The Cinema also facilitates a Gaelic Café, with guest speakers and the chance to hear, try and listen to conversations in Gaelic. It’s popular! And so is their keenly supported Climate Café, seated exercise classes, not to mention a Lego club, games nights and the much loved Craic and Craft sessions plus on Thursday evenings, it becomes a hive of sound as local and not-so-local musicians play acoustic, celtic inspired sessions that are free to all! Oh, and a beer club…the list is almost endless!
But The Birks hasn’t always been there. Having opened in 1939 and enjoyed many decades as a source of entertainment for local people, in 1982 it had closed its doors as a cinema. After a number years as an amusement arcade this iconic Art Deco building was finally put up for sale for redevelopment in 2005. This was a cue for a small group of Aberfeldy film-obsessed and cinema-deprived local residents – members of the Heartland Film Society – to set about acquiring the building and reviving it as a community-run social enterprise. The dream came true and following an enormous fund-raising effort The Birks opened its doors as a cinema again in 2013.
This community spirit lives on in the army of volunteers and trustees who give their time and expertise to support a professional team lead by Chief Executive Giles Conisbee. Marking a year since reopening due to the pandemic, your local community Cinema has welcomed 20,000+ guests despite the continued impact of the covid-19 pandemic. “The support of the local and wider communities has been absolutely amazing” said CEO Giles Conisbee, adding “People have been so positive and have voted with their feet, for which we are extremely grateful. We recognise however that some of our regulars and local patrons may have lost the habit of going to the cinema and forgotten the unique enjoyment that a shared experience of watching a film in a cinema can bring. People may also have concerns regarding COVID. The Birks is fortunate as we have the benefit of a sophisticated, industry-leading ventilation system that is set to maximum! This results in refreshing the air in the auditorium every 8 minutes!” Giles adds: “And we still operate distanced seating arrangements. That means there is automatically a seat placed between parties when you book. We are listening to our patrons and visitors and we feel it’s imperative to ensure we do everything possible to provide a safe and comfortable experience for our cinema-goers.
But what next for the Birks Cinema? Giles is enthusiastic. “We will continue to provide a varied film programme. We are in the process of launching a new series of intergenerational and intercultural films and events over the coming months. This is alongside the return of a full programme of Royal Opera and Ballet, National Theatre and RSC performances, plus a special screening from Glyndebourne of La Boheme in September. We also are pleased to be bringing back more film and book events from Edinburgh International Film and Book Festivals in August. And into Autumn, we are now in the advanced stages of some plans, which I will keep under wraps for the time being, that will power our ambition to extend beyond film and our physical walls. This is in response to what the communities we serve have told us they want, so lookout for theatre, literature, workshops and music events coming soon.”
“The Birks Cinema brings enormous benefits to our rural communities of Highland Perthshire, a truly inclusive environment of entertainment for all generations. For me it’s a symbol of the pride we have in our community and what can be achieved when we all pull together”.

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Birks Cinema – A Year On

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