The cinema in Crosby, Liverpool, is a slice of movie history. Not only does it hold the record for the shortest session – it opened its doors the day before the Second World War broke out, and closed them the next because of the fear of air raids – but for the past 11 years it has been an independent cinema owned and run by the community that it serves.

Back in 1996 Apollo Leisure decided that there was no money to be made from running a three-screen cinema in Crosby. Without another cinema within eight miles, local people took matters into their own hands. Backers were found, money was raised, and the cinema reopened in 1997. Part-run by volunteers (“apart from the projectionists, there was nobody who had run a cinema before – including myself,” teacher-turned-manager, Chris Halliday, said), the Plaza keeps going by doing everything it can think of to attract custom.

At the “teen screen”, horror movie-goers are entertained by a group that throws fake worms at them.

“We would love to be digital, but we just cannot afford it,” Ms Halliday said. “I’ve been quoted £50,000 a screen. Eventually the number of 35mm prints will decrease and decrease. Then, who knows? There is a possibility that we might not be here.”

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