Cinema slips away without fanfare

Once a place of imagination: Southside Cinema has been closed
 for more than seven years, and appears unlikely to ever reopen

It stands empty and forlorn, ravaged by climate and weather. There has been no audience for more than seven years, and in all likelihood the final curtain has fallen at the derelict Southside Cinema in Bermuda.

For many decades cinemas have been reducing in numbers, the result of changing tastes. That trend is evident at Southside Cinema.

When it was open, I occasionally went along to watch a movie or two. Films I saw included Pride and Prejudice, She's the Man and Superman Returns. It was convenient and out of the way at the eastern end of the island, far less visited than the two main cinemas in the city of Hamilton. 

Located in the former US baselands, the cinema was constructed by the Americans for personnel stationed at what was once the Kindley Air Force Base, on St David's Island, from 1948 to 1970, and which became the US Naval Air Station Bermuda from 1970 to 1995.

The cinema was operated by the Army and Air Force Motion Picture Service, and was reputed to have access to the latest movies weeks in advance of the civilian cinemas elsewhere in Bermuda.

Once the US military departed Bermuda in 1995, the theatre became a local enterprise.

With a 425-seating capacity it was the largest cinema on the island, which was another reason why I favoured it. It was rarely busy. However, I do remember in April 2006, during the Bermuda International Film Festival, when it was famously packed to the max, with a queue outside that included the island's Premier at the time, Alex Scott. Kudos to Mr Scott for not pushing in (he was behind me in the queue). However, he did not stay for the second feature that day, Neil Young's Prairie Wind concert film.

That spike in popularity was an anomaly. Most of the time the cinema barely attracted a few dozen customers. It was dated, and the once impressive interior was fading with age. The main auditorium lights were always dimmed, perhaps to disguise the dilapidation. Admission was cash-only - no debit or credit cards.

In 2009, there was a double shooting outside the cinema shortly after a late movie showing. 

The cinema closed in 2013. There was talk of it being reopened, but it has remained shuttered.

Now it stands empty, its exterior showing increasing damage from the elements. Who knows how much longer the building will be there? Its days appear numbered.

Southside Cinema served its purpose and brought many hours of joy to countless audiences for more than 50 years, and I can attest to its success in immersing audiences in entertaining "other worlds" - if only for an hour or two at a time.

As Southside Cinema slips away without fanfare, the happy memories of the movies it once showed live on.