Movie star Peter Mullan will stroll up the red carpet in Paisley

Jan 20 2010 by Lynn Jolly, Paisley Daily Express

AWARD-WINNING actor Peter Mullan will be given the red carpet treatment when members of Paisley Film Society screen the first movie at their new town centre venue.

The Society is moving screenings from Reid Kerr College to Paisley Arts Centre in New Street in a bid to encourage more Buddies to watch quality films on the big screen.

Peter, who is patron of the Society, will mingle with guests at the gala launch night on Tuesday, February 2 – and the Paisley Daily Express has five pairs of tickets to give away for the champagne reception.

Peter has appeared in hit films such as Braveheart, Trainspotting and My Name Is Joe, for which he won the Best Actor award at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

Society chairwoman Linda Mundell is thrilled Peter is supporting their efforts.

She said: “The launch event will be a red carpet affair, with everyone smartly dressed, and there will be champagne on arrival.

“The Society’s logo will be beamed onto the ground at the arts centre, which will be lit up on the outside with lanterns. We are really looking forward to the move to Paisley Arts Centre. We had an absolutely fantastic venue at Reid Kerr College and everyone there was very supportive but this is a new chapter for the society.

“We hope that being in the town centre will help us to grow and will offer people a wider variety of films.”

The film to be shown at the launch event will be On A Clear Day, which stars Peter as Glasgow shipbuilder Frank Redmond, who gets laid off from work.

Frank decides to challenge himself by attempting to swim the English Channel.

Since the Kelburne, in Glasgow Road, closed down in 1997, Buddies have been without a cinema in the heart of Paisley and have had to travel to out-of-town multiplexes instead.

Paisley Film Society was formed in April last year with the aim of bringing community cinema to the town.

Since then, big screen showings of classic movies such as Local Hero and Jaws have been shown at Reid Kerr College.

Peter pledged his support to the Society by becoming patron, meaning he will help the group to source funding and provide support in whatever way he can within the industry.

There has also been backing for the Society from Renfrewshire councillors, members of Paisley Vision Board and Regional Screen Scotland.

During the 1950s and 60s, there were at least eight picture houses across Paisley but, by the 1970s, only three remained – the Astoria, in Lawn Street; the ABC, in High Street; and the Kelburne, in Glasgow Road.

The gala launch event at Paisley Arts Centre is by invitation only but movie fans can buy tickets for the screening of On A Clear Day at a cost of £3 for Society members and £5 for non-members.

To buy tickets, call the arts centre on 0141 887 1010. More information about the Society can be found online at www.paisleyfilmsociety.com

l For a chance to win one of five pairs of tickets for the gala launch event, simply tell us the name of Peter’s character in On A Clear Day. Our lucky winners will also be handed a year’s free membership to the Society, which usually costs £10.

Send your answer on a postcard to: Peter Mullan Competition, FAO Lynn Jolly, Paisley Daily Express, 14 New Street, Paisley, PA1 1YA. The closing date is Monday, January 25.