A film about a cinema in West Wales being saved will be shown at a Kington picture house

Save The Cinema is inspired by the life of Liz Evans, a hairdresser and linchpin to the local Carmarthen community. 

Save the Cinema is a 2022 British drama film written by Piers Ashworth and directed by Sara Sugarman, based on the true story of Liz Evans, a hairdresser and leader of a youth theatre in Carmarthen, who began a campaign in 1993 to save the Lyric cinema from closure. 

The film features mostly British talent, with principal roles led by Jonathan Pryce, Samantha Morton, Tom Felton, Adeel Akhtar and Susan Wokoma.

Liz Evans was the mother of Huw Evans, a Barrister, and his two younger brothers Wynne Evans, a principal of the Welsh National Opera who, since 2009, has appeared as a fictional Italian tenor called Gio Compario in the advertising campaign for GoCompare; and Mark Llewellyn Evans, a member of the English National Opera and founder of ABC of Opera.  Wynne and Mark both appear in the film in cameo roles. 

A phone call later and one of Hollywood’s elite agree to offer a very special treat for Carmarthen, but does this help save the cinema?

The film will be shown at The Old Picture House in Kington on January 24 at 7.30pm.

The Old Picture House was built as a Methodist Chapel in 1858.

In 1919 the chapel closed, and the building was adapted into a cinema. 

It was not until April of 1958 that the cinema closed, opening only periodically over the next eight years until the projectors were finally turned off for good in 1966

In 1980 46 Bridge Street became a place of worship for the Jehovah’s Witnesses and stayed as such until 2005.

In 2008 the current owners moved in and started bringing the old cinema back to life!

Save the Cinema is rated as a 12 film and it is a drama.

Tickets are £6.50 and they are available by calling 07855 254590