The Magic Lantern has been crowned Cinema of the Year.

The Tywyn venue is the very first winner of the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) award, supported by Kia and voted for by cinemagoers.

Over 130 cinemas entered and over 100,000 votes were cast by cinemagoers up and down the UK during the first round of voting before the final five nominees were selected by a specially appointed jury, taking into account the public vote and the cinemas’ contribution to their community, to environmental sustainability and to making cinema accessible for all.

Following a final round of voting by audience in which over 19,000 votes were cast, the winner was crowned at the BIFA ceremony on Sunday 30 November.

Magic Lantern Manager Sara Hulls and Venue Manager Ella Morgan collected the award.

Sara said: “Diolch yn fawr iawn — thank you so much to everyone who voted for us. It means the world to bring this award home to Tywyn. We are so grateful to our community who get behind everything we do and support us in every way they can. Without them, there would be no Magic Lantern.”

In her acceptance speech Ella Morgan said: “I’m honoured to accept this award on behalf of our amazing, creative team - they truly put the magic in the Magic Lantern.

“We also thank BIFA for recognising the important role of cinemas in the film industry by creating this award and we thank Kia for supporting it.

“Finally we thank the independent filmmakers for all their beautiful, challenging, inspiring, important films. Screening them is a privilege.”

BIFA directors Amy Gustin and Deena Wallace said: “The response to the very first Cinema of the Year award has been incredible and we are delighted for The Magic Lantern.

“Thanks to Kia’s support, we’ve been able to start something really special with this audience-voted category. As well as highlighting a worthy winner and five exceptional nominees, all the cinemas who entered have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for them from their communities. Long live the cinema!”

Kia has been championing independent cinemas and their communities since 2022. As a proud supporter of independent cinema and the screening of independent films, like BIFA, Kia is championing diverse and compelling stories that reach the big screen.

Steve Hicks, Marketing Director at Kia UK Limited said: “A true champion for British cinema, the British Independent Film Awards are a great way to recognise the very best cinemas in the UK today.

“More than 100,000 film fans have nominated their favourite venues, with huge congratulations to The Magic Lantern for being named the very best.

“Nothing compares to the ‘big screen’ experience, and the nominees for Cinema of the Year are those that put their local communities at the very heart of the action, creating a memorable and enjoyable experience time after time.

“It’s clear from these awards that British cinemagoers have a wealth of choice when it comes to watching films in a way which supports local businesses and communities.”