Magic moment as cinema wins UK independent title

JOY AS RESORT'S MUCH-LOVED INSTITUTION HONOURED

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE Countryside and Tourism Editor [e-mail]

The Magic Lantern Cinema in Tywyn, Gwynedd.

(PICTURE: RICHARD HOARE/WIKI)

A HUGE roar resounded across a seaside resort in Gwynedd when the result of a UK-wide movie competition was announced.

People at an awards party in Tywyn had just seen their century-old picture palace crowned the UK's best independent cinema.

The Magic Lantern Cinema is a much-loved landmark in the town that attracts some 20,000 people each year.

Housed in Tywyn’s former Assembly Room - built on a site of the old pub in 1893 - it has been showing films for over 100 years.

More than 130 cinemas around Britain vied for the best-in-the-UK title at the 28th British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

The Magic Lantern was in a shortlist of five, and at a star-studded ceremony in London, it got the final nod. As a newly created award, the Magic Lantern became the inaugural winner.