Lights, camera, action in Gala

The unveiling took place at the Pavilion Cinema during an event attended by customers, former and current staff, and representatives from a range of local and industry organisations.

100 years of the cinema … in pictures

Scottish-based historian Daniel Gray officially opened the display by cutting a reel of film using a film splicer.

He said: "I was greatly honoured to be asked to help celebrate this wonderful place, which means so much to the town and its people. The Pavilion Cinema has been a portal for escaping into joy for more than a century, and long may that continue."

The display, funded by the Creative Scotland's Cinema Recovery Fund, launched in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, features a one-hundred-year timeline reflecting the Market Street building's history. The complex opened, initially as the Playhouse, in 1920 and was a multi-purpose venue with a theatre, cinema and dance hall.

In the 1950s, the first major renovation took place, creating a separate bingo hall located in the former theatre stalls, below the main cinema screen seating area above. In the early 1970s, a second renovation took place, separating the downstairs bingo hall from the upstairs cinema. At that time, black and white cladding was attached to the façade, covering up the art deco brickwork.

At this time, the backstage area for the theatre was closed off, left unused until 1994 when the current owners, Balgonie Estates Ltd, commissioned the building's largest transformation, increasing the number of cinema screens from one to four, and restoring the facade back to its former glory.

Andrew Poole, director and leaseholder of the Pavilion Cinema, said: "It's fantastic to finally see this programme through to its conclusion. We started the process of collecting our customers memories of visiting this wonderful building in January 2020, fully intending to carry out the building's centenary celebrations in June that year.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to all that and it's only now we are finally able to celebrate reaching this milestone. Huge thanks go to Creative Scotland for their continued support of the independent cinema sector in Scotland. Without their support, not only would we not still be here showing films, but we wouldn't have been able to create such a wonderful exhibit for all our customers."

The timeline display, now open to the public, immerses cinema visitors in their town's heritage. Long-time customers' memories of visiting the venue have also been included in the display. Jim Egan, a regular Pavilion Cinema customer and contributor to the display, said: "It is amazing the cinema is still here, perhaps one of the only cinema buildings to reach its centenary, and it has just become more important to the community. A trip to the cinema is a social occasion, something we all need for our well-being."

The team at the Pavilion look forward to welcoming visitors to view the display over the coming weeks.