LEIGH'S first independent cinema launched last month after a mammoth effort from a team of dedicated volunteers.
Funded entirely through public donations and built almost exclusively with recycled materials, Leigh Film Factory opened its doors in Spinners Mill over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Screening popular flicks such as 'The Greatest Showman', 'Back To The Future' and 'Cinema Paradiso', the weekend was celebrated as a "great success" as it brought together cinema lovers, volunteers, and community backers through the love of film.
Completing a long-term vision to create Leigh's first independent cinema, it has been a long journey since the team started a film club out of a small cafe in Tyldesley back in 2013.
From speaking with friends and film-lovers about their favourite flicks, the Film Factory expanded to showcase films at the Turnpike and local festivals until they got the backing to create their own cinema.
With screenings booked for the next few weeks, they aim to bring people together to enjoy a wide range of new releases, blockbusters and classics, as well as short and independent films.
Based on the fourth floor of the Mill, the Film Factory will also be the new home of the Wigan & Leigh Film Festival; dedicated to showcasing local and international talent in filmmaking.
Paul Costello, one of the founders of Leigh Film Factory, said: "Film crosses all the generations. It's a way to bring the community together and put on a great film for families, friends, children, and the socially isolated.
"We are an independent cinema so we can show whatever film people want to see, with the option to stay at the bar afterward and speak about what you just saw.
"The people of Leigh have funded this and made it happen [...] and we have had some fabulous feedback.
"My favourite comment was someone saying 'this is what going to the cinema used to be like'.
"It's all very exciting and we hope people keep finding us and keep enjoying what we're doing."
Upcoming shows at the Film Factory include 'Kes' on Saturday, September 10 and Tim Burton's 'Batman' on Saturday, September 17.
Wigan & Leigh Film Festival will take place at the Film Factory on Friday, September 23, and Saturday, September 24.
For more information, visit their website here.
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