Inside the Fight to Reopen the Belmont
Michelle Soto shares how community, film, and care guide the Belmont’s revival.
On one of those rare warm, sunny May evenings in Aberdeen that feel like a taste of summer, I met Michelle Soto at Common Sense for a coffee and a chat ahead of the Belmont Cinema’s monthly film quiz. The quiz is one of several small events the team’s running to raise money and rebuild a community around a cinema that’s been missing from the city for nearly three years.
Michelle is the Community Fundraiser and Outreach Lead at Belmont Community Cinema Ltd. She joined the team in December 2024. From the moment we started talking, it was clear this was far more than a job to her.
Would you like to see your message here? Let's talk.
Set sail with Anything Goes, presented by AOC Productions at the Tivoli Theatre from May 28–31, 2025. This timeless musical comedy aboard the SS American features madcap antics, mistaken identities, and show-stopping tunes.
Don’t miss this dazzling voyage of love and laughter on the high seas—where anything truly goes! Book your tickets today!
Building momentum
Before we got too far into the details, Michelle brought up a word she’d been thinking about all day: momentum. “It feels like we’re building up a head of steam,” she said. The announcement of UK Shared Prosperity Fund support had come through the day before. It’s the latest in a series of small but significant wins that push the Belmont revival forward.
Michelle wasn’t there at the start of the campaign to save the cinema, but she remembers the outcry well. “I was living in Aberdeen when it all happened. Everyone I knew in the cultural world, even folk in hospitality and restaurants, was stunned. It felt like we’d just come through Covid, and then the Belmont was taken from us without warning.”
Finding the right people
The journey hasn’t been straightforward. Rebuilding a cinema isn’t about simply getting a projector running, it’s about the team behind it. Belmont Community Cinema Ltd formed quickly after the closure, but rather than rush into reopening, the board spent time figuring out what the community needed. Just at the end of Sarah Dingwall’s stint leading income development, Michelle joined the team. Soon after, they appointed Matt Buchanan as CEO.
“The board didn’t make decisions out of panic,” Michelle said. “They waited until they could bring in the right team.”
Matt grew up in Aberdeen and moved to Montrose specifically to open and run the Montrose Playhouse before taking the job. Michelle lights up when talking about him. “This isn’t a guy looking for his next project. It’s someone who wants to make Aberdeen better and bring back a place he loved growing up.”
Working together, on the ground
Rebuilding a space like the Belmont is complex. But it’s also deeply human. The day-to-day work of the team is grounded in Aberdeen itself. They’re not managing it from afar, or treating it like a temporary campaign—they’re here, in the city, making it happen one conversation at a time.
The Belmont team now works part in-office, part remotely. They’re based at ONE Tech Hub in the Belmont Quarter for most of the week, which lets them stay connected to local organisations and the building itself. Michelle often works from the Central Library, partly out of love for the space, partly for accessibility.
“We’re trying to meet people where they are,” she told me. “That’s what a community organisation should do—listen to what people need and work with them.”
Getting a head-start
There’s a deliberate choice being made not to wait for the building to reopen before starting community work. The film quiz, the new film clubs, pop-up screenings, and partnerships with the Art Gallery and Granite Noir are all part of keeping the spirit of the Belmont alive. Michelle’s determination to make it happen was written on her face. As we spoke, one of the Belmont volunteers arrived and joined us briefly. He’d come early for the quiz. Michelle introduced Danny and joked that he might be on my team for the quiz. It was a small moment, but one that made the work she described feel instantly real.
“We’re not just writing grant applications,” she said. “We’re out in the world already. That’s just as important.”
Volunteers are now getting involved and plans for a formal volunteer policy are in the works. Michelle explained that this policy is being developed with a strong focus on fair work and best practice. “We’re working to make these roles enriching,” she said, “so people feel like they’re doing something substantial, not just handing out flyers. We want everything people do to feel meaningful.”
Several community members are already leading film clubs and helping shape how the programme develops. One volunteer runs a Tuesday night film club, another hosts on Thursdays—both stepped forward with ideas early on, before any policy was even in place. Some are helping with events, others are leading film clubs. It’s early days, but this will be a big part of how the Belmont grows.
A cinema that belongs to the city
Michelle returns often to the idea that the Belmont is more than a venue. “At its heart, Aberdeen is the Belmont Community Cinema,” she said. “It’s a shared space, a cultural home for the city.”
And home is the feeling they want to create when the doors reopen. Not just a place to sit in the dark for two hours, but somewhere you can spend time, feel safe, and be part of something. “There used to be a writers’ group upstairs. They want to come back. We want that too. But first, we need to fix the heating.”
The building, she reminds me, is nearly 130 years old. It needs work, and that’s partly why it’s taking time. “We’re not slapping on new wallpaper and calling it a day. We’re restoring a heritage site—and we’re doing it right.”
Ground-up, not top-down
Michelle is firm that the revival is being built from the ground up. That grassroots support will also shape what appears on screen. Big grants matter, but so do small donations. The film quiz raises a few thousand pounds a year. Sponsored cinema seats—available for £500 each—are being snapped up for birthdays, anniversaries, and memorials.
“It all adds up,” she said. “Some people give five pounds a month. Others sponsor a seat. It shows that we don’t need to be owned by a larger chain. We can do this ourselves. It’s not just fundraising—it’s a reminder that this cinema belongs to the people who use it.”
Programming with purpose
When I asked how the Belmont would make sure its programming stayed inclusive, Michelle was clear. “We’re not going to show obscure foreign films just to tick a box. We’ll show them because someone in Aberdeen cares about that story.”
The plan is for film choices to come from within the community. “If the Chinese Institute asks to show a Cantonese film, we’ll do everything we can to make that happen,” she said.
Bringing Belmont spirit to found spaces
It’s not just the building that holds meaning—it’s the experiences it created. With that in mind, Michelle and the team have been looking for ways to bring that same feeling into other spaces while the cinema remains closed.
Until the cinema reopens, Belmont is popping up wherever it can. Screenings tied to the Art Gallery’s Monsters of the Deep exhibition are planned for the summer. December’s showing of It’s a Wonderful Life sold out in two hours. Michelle sees all of this as a kind of rehearsal.
“We’re building that community now, so when the doors open, people will already feel part of it. We’re not opening a building and hoping people will show up after the fact.”
A city worth staying for
Originally from Philadelphia, Michelle spent time living in Aberdeen before moving up to the Highlands, where she worked on community heritage projects. She moved back to Aberdeen with a strong sense of purpose (and plenty of emotions) when the chance to work on the Belmont came up. “I saw the North Sea from the train and cried,” she said. “Aberdeen is a city that reinvents itself without forgetting its past. That’s why I’m here.”
“This isn’t just a job,” she said. “We all talk about how if we won the lottery, we’d put the money into the Belmont. That’s how much it matters.”
The day the doors reopen
Reopening day might still be a little while off, but the vision is clear. The team knows what they want this space to be. They’re not just focused on getting bums in seats—they’re thinking about the whole experience, and how people will feel when they walk through the door.
So, when it does open, what should people expect?
“Warmth,” she said. “A welcome. A place that feels like home.”
That could mean watching a film, hosting a book club, running a writing group, or just sitting in a space that feels like it belongs to you. That’s the aim: a space that puts community before commerce.
The film quiz, hosted by Belmont trustee Dallas King, had an easy, welcoming feel. I ended up on a team of relative strangers, including Danny, the volunteer Michelle had introduced earlier. We shared stories about films, pooled our knowledge, and did our best—and somehow, we won. Heading off into the night with a Blu-ray of Footloose in my hand, I already felt a stronger connection to this brilliant community.
How to play your part
The team still needs funds. They’re waiting on more grants. They’re looking for sponsors. But the invitation is open to everyone, stresses Michelle. “If you’ve got a tenner for the quiz, brilliant. If you’ve got memories of the Belmont, send them in. If you want to volunteer, sign up. It all matters.”
The Belmont Film Quiz runs on the first Thursday of every month. You can donate to the the campaign at any time through the Belmont website. Or sign up for their newsletter to hear about pop-up screenings, future film clubs, and how to get involved.
Thanks to Michelle for the chat, the company, and her unwavering enthusiasm for a project that means the world, not just to her, but to many in the city, including us here at POST, who miss what the Belmont stood for, and believe in what it could still become.
Aberdeen’s cultural calendar is packed, and POST’s What’s On page gives you a snapshot of it all. From gigs and theatre to exhibitions and creative meet-ups, there’s loads to discover, whatever your taste.
Bold performances, thoughtful shows, unusual venues, and events that bring people together. It’s all going on, and we’re here to help you find what’s next.
