By Joanne Yau

As we took our velvet seats in the dark, it felt like life was about to start over again. A hush came over the chattering crowd as the credits started rolling, and then came the brooding, majestic title card – ‘Dune’. A new beginning, after a calamitous pandemic, presented by The New Picture House.

Little did I know that this feeling could possibly never be relived in St Andrews.

Is life only based on memory? Is what lies only in memory not considered part of your life anymore? These questions plagued me when I saw the cold, uncompromising news headline – “Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake unveil plans to open sports bar in St Andrews”. Like many, this news left me fraught with sentiments of powerlessness and devastation. From then, I’ve found that my perceptions of the NPH exist on an odd liminal terrain, wavering between the past and the present. I’ve found myself slowing down whenever I walk past the cinema, realizing that I had taken for granted the architectural beauty of this nearly century-old building – the grandiose auditorium, the moon-blue walls, the mysterious balcony that is reminiscent of Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso. I’ve regretted not starting a movie ticket collection earlier and not taking more photos of the vintage interiors. When I risked losing a part of my cinephile identity, I suddenly wished to build a tangible treasure trove of footage to indulge in again and again, but I also didn’t want this footage to end and the film camera to stop rolling.

As more and more posters of protest were being put up in St Andrews, it dawned on me that my quest was not solitary. My perspective represents just one tiny current in a wave of strong, coalescing voices. It only took a little heartfelt questioning to uncover that many have their own little NPH story to tell:

“NPH reintroduced me to cinema after COVID – it’s where I fell in love with movie-going experiences again, after being trapped in my home for two years. Its demolition would mean the destruction of a significant part of my St Andrews experience and be detrimental to the town.” – Rivaa Urbani, 3rd Year English and Philosophy student

“I’d say the NPH has always underwhelmed me as a cinema, but it’s much better than nothing and I’d be disappointed if it closed. The first time I went was as a very shy first year, so it was a great way to spend time with my new friend.” –Anonymous

It is fascinating to see what the NPH means to different people – for some, it has reshaped their post-pandemic student experience, while some may find its small exhibition space lacking. Yet, nostalgia has this funny way of attaching itself to one’s present identity. Hence, regardless of whether the cinema has constituted the “perfect” memory in one’s mind, for these people, it has become an indispensable part of their time in St Andrews. I personally see films as glimpses of something past – previously captured moments edited together to construct a dream. Cinemas play a role in transporting those dreams to the present moment, awakening our consciousness collectively. While the secluded environment of the cinematic space allows us to abscond temporarily from reality and experience a thousand journeys vicariously, it also leaves something palatable for us to savor potentially for the rest of our lives. I will never forget my first time at the NPH, watching Dune, with its sweeping panoramic shots which are still ingrained into my mind. The experience meant this much to me because I got to share it with a full auditorium of audience members. Sometimes, I wish I could open a window into the back of others’ minds during film premieres, just to see what shades their movie fantasies are painted in. When I ask people about their favorite cinema memory, I uncover many tightly cherished joys – for me, this is the wonder of movie-going.

There may be hundreds of uniform “SAVE THE NEW PICTURE HOUSE” posters across town, but every single poster illuminates someone’s unique relationship to the cinema’s sanctuary and the movies they’ve found respite in. When spaces enter the heart, they become tangible, breathing memories. Breathing memories, that, in St Andrews, have survived numerous tumultuous events, from the Blitz to the pandemic, and become a testament to the strength of our town’s residents and students. Breathing memories which have been passed down from era to era, with each person adding a new image to a euphoric montage of colors. The sports bar’s development may appeal to outsiders and celebrities, but its high-end nature and tourist-centered approach does not put our local community’s needs front and foremost. By demolishing the cinema and the cherished collective experiences that come with it, this move will be rooted purely in commercialism, selfishness, and greed for profit, and will replace a key part of St Andrews with an empty shell. Without such spaces of cultural memory, how can we keep telling the story of this town to future generations?

It is painful to acknowledge that the presence of a community space is oftentimes felt greatest when it is at threat of being lost. What is happening to the NPH is part of a broader crisis of cinema closures in recent years, across the country and worldwide, due to the pandemic, digitization of movies, rise of streaming services and skyrocketing operation costs, among other reasons. As movie-watching becomes an increasingly solitary experience and as the industry is bending over backwards to survive, I truly believe that retaining social spaces that celebrate the creativity of filmmaking is something worth fighting for. Let us not let NPH be reduced to an archived memory and let us work to ensure that this bastion of St Andrews’ film community, local heritage, and student experience lives on . Sign this petition to help: https://www.change.org/p/prevent-the-conversion-of-new-picture-house-cinema-into-a-luxury-sports-bar.

References:

https://news.sky.com/story/tiger-woods-and-justin-timberlake-unveil-plans-to-open-sports-bar-in-st-andrews-12982249

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/04/business/movie-theaters-closing-bankruptcy.html

ST.ART does not own the rights to any images used in this article.