Scotland's oldest cinema is set to celebrate its 112th anniversary.
The Bo'ness Hippodrome was the first purpose-built cinema in the country - constructed in 1912 by architect Matthew Steele and filmmaker Louis Dickson.
With an impressive capacity of over 1,000, the venue was known for screening both blockbusters and local topicals shot by Dickson himself.
The Hippodrome closed its doors shortly after Dickson's death in 1960, reopening in 1975 for a brief stint as a bingo hall.
In 2009, through various grants and as part of the Bo'ness Townscape Heritage Initiative, the cinema was restored and reopened to the public.
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In the years since, the cinema has served as a hub for the town's art scene, hosting themed film experiences and even a silent film festival.
Venue supervisor Kieran Ferguson has worked at the Hippodrome for over three years, and believes the building is an important part of Bo'ness history.
He said: "We opened our doors in 1912, and we were a cinema for many years up until 1975, when it was turned into a bingo hall.
"It was shut down in the 1980s. Through a number of grants, including the National Lottery, we were reopened as a part of Bo’ness Heritage.
"We reopened in 2009, with as much of the original look of the building as was possible at the time.
"We are important to Bo’ness for aesthetic reasons – it’s a one-of-a-kind venue, but it’s also an important facility for the local people and those further afield as an independent cinema.
"We’re still in a bit of a recovery state from the pandemic four years ago, but I believe that’s true across all cinemas nationwide. People are slowly starting to come back."
Kieran says the cinema, which is soon to host its annual silent film festival, attracts visitors from all over the world - and they are always stunned by the building's impressive interior.
He added: "We’re having our silent film festival in the next fortnight, from the 20 to 25 of March, which helps broaden our clientele to abroad," Kieran said.
"We have people coming from Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand for it.
"Although we’re known for our silent film festival, we do have a monthly programme that caters to all tastes in cinema.
"We have our family films on Saturday mornings. We also screen National Theatre Lives, and we’ve been having a little spell of musicals that have been well-attended.
"My favourite part of the job is helping people experience our unique venue – you can easily tell when it’s someone’s first time here, because they’re taken aback by how nice it looks inside."
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