Interview With Leigh Film's Elizabeth Costello
Our Arts Emergency intern went along to Leigh Film Factory, based in an old spinners mill, to meet Elizabeth Costello to discuss starting a community cinema, film's ability to bring people together and creating a space for people to belong.
Upon walking into Leigh Film Factory, you feel instantly hit by nostalgia. This is a bold statement for a nineteen-year-old to make but it rings true. Film posters adorn the walls, with low lit cosy lamps creating an ambience of a box office of another time, a time when there were two television channels, and everyone would go to the cinema and watch the same films. I’ve often talked to my mum about this with envy, I am jealous of the old world of the screen- a sense of togetherness and being united by no distractions, no over the top graphics, and coming to the cinema to enjoy and marvel at real people's work they’d dreamt up since they were a child. Of course, this is a romanticised version of cinema and now the diversity and boundaries that are being pushed by those creating for the screen are getting more and more every day, however the community feel of the world of screen feels to be getting less and less by the minute.
Elizabeth Costello, the founder of Leigh Film Society CIO knows this more than anyone else; "We give you a warm welcome, it's really important that people feel they belong".
Elizabeth Costello, the founder of Leigh Film Society CIO knows this more than anyone else; "We give you a warm welcome, it's really important that people feel they belong".
And it feels exactly like that, situated in Leigh Spinners Mill, Leigh Film Factory has fast become a community hub for the people of Leigh and beyond, providing screenings from classics like The Great Escape, to A24 horrors like a double bill of X and Pearl, to National Theatre Live. Elizabeth explains to me that the whole space is made from recycled materials, from the bar with wooden floorboards made from the renovations to the mill itself, to the 115 Imax cinema chairs, the place is welcoming and stunning in its décor whilst also being eco-friendly. However, the space itself is only half as remarkable as the story behind how it came to be...
What inspired you to start up a community cinema? What has the journey been to get to having a permanent physical space?
What inspired me to start it was I had cancer, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a form of blood cancer back in 2006 and when I’d had finished all my treatment, unrelated to the cancer my renal function failed. And because I had blood cancer, I couldn’t go on the transplant list, so I spent the next five years on renal dialysis until I could. After five years I got a match which is a virtual impossibility. But to be kept alive by a machine and with no hope, you must look after your own mental health, and I took control of making sure I stayed in a good place. When everything around you is dark, you must focus on finding that light.
We’ve always been a film family, I’ve got four brothers, so I’ve seen every Western and war film going, we grew up watching films together. So, I know taking your mind to a positive place, film can do that. Film is escapism, and the therapeutic benefit from watching a film, the visuals, the plot, the music, you name it it’s there and it captivates your mind.
The chance of a donation of a stranger, made me think- I haven't worked in a long time as I've been at hospital. What do I do now I’ve got this gift of life- how do I use it? However, I didn’t know how much time I had to live so what do I do with that time?
So, I just thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we put a film on once a month in a café? See who came along, let's all watch it together and maybe stay behind and chat about it. My focus was to set a programme that put on foreign language, art house, non-mainstream films to our town. We realised there was a demand very quickly and moved to new premises within a year, we opened in the Turnpike Centre in Leigh above the library as Leigh Film Society.
We have screened films in all different venues, from swimming pools to allotments, if we could get a screen up- we did it. But it got to the point where we realised, we need our own cinema, when you're beholden to someone else's diary you can't be spontaneous. So, we moved into Leigh Spinners Mill, and built Leigh Film Factory with help from volunteers and eco-friendly. We funded it with small funding pots but mostly from recycling and initiatives such as every cinema seat we have has someone's name on it- for £100 you can get your name on a cinema seat.
It’s so in line with this idea of community and accessibility.
Well even during Covid we instantly began to contact people who we knew attended our cinema clubs and who were alone and gave them support and asked if they wanted any DVDs. We started doing this thing called the ‘orange bags of cinema sunshine’, making deliveries to people who are vulnerable and isolated. This is doing what comes naturally to us - making human contact, which we wanted to make sure was maintained through lockdown. Even though it wasn’t having a chat, it was leaving a bag at the door. Many people live in digital poverty and don’t have streaming platforms, we wanted to look after the people who would visit the cinema and know Leigh Film Society is there for you.
It’s such a cool space.
We have two part time staff now, a great team of volunteers who we have on a rota system and what we offer volunteers is if you volunteer for us, you can go in and watch the film for free. We also still have Leigh Film Society with Leigh Film Society presents with our art house, foreign language films once a month which allows me to stay true to myself.
What is the best thing about the space?
Freedom. Freedom to do what we want to do and not be beholden to someone else's diary, to be in control of our own programming.
What has been your favourite screening?
I’ve had a lot of favourite screenings, but I’ve really enjoyed doing the ones at the church, we get big audiences, it's about bringing people together in a big space and Leigh Parish Church is beautiful. Its stunning, its gothic. One of my favourite screenings of all time to date though is a film called Life of Brian. We chose to do that at Easter in Church.
That is a bold move.
We aren't afraid of a challenge. We got permission from the local Bishop and Father Kevin and got it on. It's very true to the scriptures, and about mistaken identity and we wanted to get that message across and see who would go for it. We’re only the second Church in history to screen that film. We put a message out there no women were allowed and so the only way you could get in as a woman was to dress up, so it was a night of women in beards.
That was my one of my favourite films growing up, one of the films that got me into cinema.
It stands the test of time, and it's funny.
What's your advice to people who want to do what you’ve done?
You can do it, but you’ve got to give your whole life to it. You can't do it with half a heart, you must give it 100%. If you’ve not got the drive to do it, I wouldn’t start out. You must have the drive, commitment, and passion and we’ve got it in bucket loads.
You definitely have. Just from seeing the space and the way your eyes light up when you talk about film its very clear. What would you recommend as a gateway into arthouse or more abstract film?
Cinema Paradiso. Its Italian, a foreign language film and it’s a film about community cinema. Its everything that community cinema is about. Our launch weekend we screened that here on a Saturday night and we had a big audience, and I was just crying. I'm working class, very proud of my background and I own that. Brought up by a single mum with six children on a council estate in Salford but I loved ballet. Why can't I enjoy ballet? Why can't I enjoy foreign language films? We're bringing screen culture, screening ballets once a month, National Theatre live once a month. We’re saying yes, we’re a community cinema but we support the arts through screen culture which we have been talking about this for ten years.
What's your favourite film?
12 Angry Men, its set in one room and it's twelve angry men deciding the fate of a young boy accused of murder. The first shot sets the scene showing the innocent face of the boy who is accused. They decide he's guilty with no deliberation before Henry Fonda forces them to stay in the room and go through the case piece by piece forcing conversations on racism and prejudice. It takes one voice to stand up and speak truth and do something to create real change. The message of speaking the truth to power and believing in what you say and standing your ground is key. No matter how many times I’ve felt alone and isolated as long as I have belief in myself, I’ve stood my ground.
As cliché as it sounds, the conversation I had with Elizabeth left me feeling the magical impact of cinema again. The love, passion and dedication of Leigh Film Society CIO and Leigh Film Factory is immeasurable and the definition of community cinema as they create real change to people’s lives. It brings back a sense of togetherness which we don’t feel in multiplex cinemas and allows us all to interact and enjoy film together again. And the work of Elizabeth and the team is that of a film plot itself. If you ever have the chance to go to Leigh Film Factory or create anything even an ounce as remarkable as it, it would be time well spent.
Elizabeth Costello, the founder of Leigh Film Society CIO knows this more than anyone else; "We give you a warm welcome, it's really important that people feel they belong".
And it feels exactly like that, situated in Leigh Spinners Mill, Leigh Film Factory has fast become a community hub for the people of Leigh and beyond, providing screenings from classics like The Great Escape, to A24 horrors like a double bill of X and Pearl, to National Theatre Live. Elizabeth explains to me that the whole space is made from recycled materials, from the bar with wooden floorboards made from the renovations to the mill itself, to the 115 Imax cinema chairs, the place is welcoming and stunning in its décor whilst also being eco-friendly. However, the space itself is only half as remarkable as the story behind how it came to be...
What inspired you to start up a community cinema? What has the journey been to get to having a permanent physical space?
What inspired me to start it was I had cancer, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a form of blood cancer back in 2006 and when I’d had finished all my treatment, unrelated to the cancer my renal function failed. And because I had blood cancer, I couldn’t go on the transplant list, so I spent the next five years on renal dialysis until I could. After five years I got a match which is a virtual impossibility. But to be kept alive by a machine and with no hope, you must look after your own mental health, and I took control of making sure I stayed in a good place. When everything around you is dark, you must focus on finding that light.
We’ve always been a film family, I’ve got four brothers, so I’ve seen every Western and war film going, we grew up watching films together. So, I know taking your mind to a positive place, film can do that. Film is escapism, and the therapeutic benefit from watching a film, the visuals, the plot, the music, you name it it’s there and it captivates your mind.
The chance of a donation of a stranger, made me think- I haven't worked in a long time as I've been at hospital. What do I do now I’ve got this gift of life- how do I use it? However, I didn’t know how much time I had to live so what do I do with that time?
So, I just thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we put a film on once a month in a café? See who came along, let's all watch it together and maybe stay behind and chat about it. My focus was to set a programme that put on foreign language, art house, non-mainstream films to our town. We realised there was a demand very quickly and moved to new premises within a year, we opened in the Turnpike Centre in Leigh above the library as Leigh Film Society.
We have screened films in all different venues, from swimming pools to allotments, if we could get a screen up- we did it. But it got to the point where we realised, we need our own cinema, when you're beholden to someone else's diary you can't be spontaneous. So, we moved into Leigh Spinners Mill, and built Leigh Film Factory with help from volunteers and eco-friendly. We funded it with small funding pots but mostly from recycling and initiatives such as every cinema seat we have has someone's name on it- for £100 you can get your name on a cinema seat.
It’s so in line with this idea of community and accessibility.
Well even during Covid we instantly began to contact people who we knew attended our cinema clubs and who were alone and gave them support and asked if they wanted any DVDs. We started doing this thing called the ‘orange bags of cinema sunshine’, making deliveries to people who are vulnerable and isolated. This is doing what comes naturally to us - making human contact, which we wanted to make sure was maintained through lockdown. Even though it wasn’t having a chat, it was leaving a bag at the door. Many people live in digital poverty and don’t have streaming platforms, we wanted to look after the people who would visit the cinema and know Leigh Film Society is there for you.
It’s such a cool space.
We have two part time staff now, a great team of volunteers who we have on a rota system and what we offer volunteers is if you volunteer for us, you can go in and watch the film for free. We also still have Leigh Film Society with Leigh Film Society presents with our art house, foreign language films once a month which allows me to stay true to myself.
What is the best thing about the space?
Freedom. Freedom to do what we want to do and not be beholden to someone else's diary, to be in control of our own programming.
What has been your favourite screening?
I’ve had a lot of favourite screenings, but I’ve really enjoyed doing the ones at the church, we get big audiences, it's about bringing people together in a big space and Leigh Parish Church is beautiful. Its stunning, its gothic. One of my favourite screenings of all time to date though is a film called Life of Brian. We chose to do that at Easter in Church.
That is a bold move.
We aren't afraid of a challenge. We got permission from the local Bishop and Father Kevin and got it on. It's very true to the scriptures, and about mistaken identity and we wanted to get that message across and see who would go for it. We’re only the second Church in history to screen that film. We put a message out there no women were allowed and so the only way you could get in as a woman was to dress up, so it was a night of women in beards.
That was my one of my favourite films growing up, one of the films that got me into cinema.
It stands the test of time, and it's funny.
What's your advice to people who want to do what you’ve done?
You can do it, but you’ve got to give your whole life to it. You can't do it with half a heart, you must give it 100%. If you’ve not got the drive to do it, I wouldn’t start out. You must have the drive, commitment, and passion and we’ve got it in bucket loads.
You definitely have. Just from seeing the space and the way your eyes light up when you talk about film its very clear. What would you recommend as a gateway into arthouse or more abstract film?
Cinema Paradiso. Its Italian, a foreign language film and it’s a film about community cinema. Its everything that community cinema is about. Our launch weekend we screened that here on a Saturday night and we had a big audience, and I was just crying. I'm working class, very proud of my background and I own that. Brought up by a single mum with six children on a council estate in Salford but I loved ballet. Why can't I enjoy ballet? Why can't I enjoy foreign language films? We're bringing screen culture, screening ballets once a month, National Theatre live once a month. We’re saying yes, we’re a community cinema but we support the arts through screen culture which we have been talking about this for ten years.
What's your favourite film?
12 Angry Men, its set in one room and it's twelve angry men deciding the fate of a young boy accused of murder. The first shot sets the scene showing the innocent face of the boy who is accused. They decide he's guilty with no deliberation before Henry Fonda forces them to stay in the room and go through the case piece by piece forcing conversations on racism and prejudice. It takes one voice to stand up and speak truth and do something to create real change. The message of speaking the truth to power and believing in what you say and standing your ground is key. No matter how many times I’ve felt alone and isolated as long as I have belief in myself, I’ve stood my ground.
As cliché as it sounds, the conversation I had with Elizabeth left me feeling the magical impact of cinema again. The love, passion and dedication of Leigh Film Society CIO and Leigh Film Factory is immeasurable and the definition of community cinema as they create real change to people’s lives. It brings back a sense of togetherness which we don’t feel in multiplex cinemas and allows us all to interact and enjoy film together again. And the work of Elizabeth and the team is that of a film plot itself. If you ever have the chance to go to Leigh Film Factory or create anything even an ounce as remarkable as it, it would be time well spent.