Cromarty Paradiso brings applause for a Highland community

The success of a little cinema in the far north of Scotland could almost inspire a script for the big screen in itself.

A rural community in the far north came together to shed ‘blood, sweat and tears” in their deterimation to bring film to its people against the odds, only to find their rewards, which included finding land and getting planning permission, were thwarted when the pandemic stopped the screens rolling just a couple of months into the venture.

But the draw of the cinema didn’t fade out with the last credits in March 2020 - indeed its absence only intensified those unifying qualities of movie going. Those long, dark nights were a little easier to bear as film worked its magic among the people of Cromarty.

As restrictions eased, the people came back for more as the health emergency lifted with the cinema helping to beat isolation both before, during and after the pandemic.

Now, in an uplifting ending, Cromarty Cinema in bucking the trend with its screen, on average, around two-thirds full at a time when national attendance sits about 30 per cent.

Cromarty has moved film to the very heart of a community who went to extraordinary lengths to bring the cinema experience home. It is a story of good people working hard to make good things happen for each other. That will always be worthy of applause.