People said it would never happen, now we're one of Merseyside's best venues

A cinema which people said "would never happen" has gone on to become a vital part of its local community.

Southport's Bijou cinema was the brainchild of movie fan Michael Lockwood, who had a “dream and goal in life” to open his own cinema. In fact, the name ‘Bijou’ was inspired by the The Bijou Movie Theatre of Bedford Falls which appears in the 1946 classic It’s A Wonderful Life - which happened to be one of Michael’s favourite films.

Michael spent years working on the cinema, initially making groundwork in 2009. Current manager Andy Harrison came on board in 2016, and the Bijou opened its doors in October 2019.

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Andy said: “Back before I joined the team, people would talk about it and say, ‘There’s meant to be a cinema coming, but it’ll never happen.’ [Michael] was keen to spread the word. I said, ‘Right, we’re setting a date, and that’s the date we’re opening’.”

“Even before the day we opened, we were still painting and getting stuff ready.”

Andy has been proudly continuing Michael’s legacy, since the founder died in 2021. Andy continued: “[Michael] was just happy that he had achieved his goal and got to see its success. Everything we do, we consider what he would have wanted.”

The Bijou Cinema recently won Entertainment Venue of the year at the Southport BID Stars Awards. It has also been shortlisted as one of ten Hidden Gems in the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards in 2023.

The Bijou doesn’t just show films - it is also a place for other community ventures as well, including a choir and a theatre group, which Andy believes is great for the cinema's community ethos.

He said: “We’ve built this group of supporters and it feels like it is a place that people enjoy.”

The cinema shows both new and old films, having thousands of discs on record. The main lobby has a film suggestion board where people can ask to show certain classics, which Andy believes helps with the community aspect of the venue.

With the rise of streaming services and the competition of other successful cinemas, such as VUE and Odeon, Andy stresses the Bijou is trying to “find its niche” with what people want to see.

He continued: “The cinema is how a lot of films were meant to be seen. Quite often, it comes down to us to keep these films alive.”

You can watch the full interview with Michael in the video above. You can find the Bijou on instagram at @southportbijou.

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