Harwich: Movie star launches historic cinema campaign

10:44am Tuesday 14th November 2006

Harwich laid out the red carpet as Hollywood actor Clive Owen made a guest appearance in town.

The star of films such as Sin City and Closer was at the Electric Palace cinema to launch an ambitious campaign to save the building.

More than £85,000 is needed to make essential repairs, which will preserve the oldest working cinema in the country.

Mr Owen, who moved to the Harwich area in 2004, joined a packed audience to watch his latest hit film Children of Men.

He described said: "I am really honoured to be asked to be patron of this very special cinema.

"It would be nothing short of disastrous if a place like this was lost. I hope people will give it the backing it deserves."

He added: "When I was at drama school, I ran around all these type of cinemas and got my entire film education that way.

"They are rarer and rarer now with so many commercial cinemas, where the main concern is making money.

"Mr Owen, who attended with his wife, Sarah-Jane Fenton, and their two young children, stayed on after the film was shown to answer questions from the audience.