THEY used to say that Bridgwater was a town of film producers, well, that was mainly because so many people worked at Cellophane, and they produced film, writes Cllr Brian Smedley, leader of Bridgwater Town Council.

But cinema has played a big part in this town's life, and after watching yet another great film with a packed audience at the new Northgate Multiplex (this time Back to Black- the Amy Winehouse story) I thought what a good investment that leisure facility was.

Much better than the Tesco's Superstore that they originally planned as they knocked down the Splash.

We all remember our first film, mine was 'First Men on the Moon' at the Clock Cinema in Leeds, but the first film I saw in Bridgwater was 'Zulu' at the Palace.

In fact, I watched it three nights in a row, whilst by the third night my dad was trying to encourage me to maybe watch Goldfinger at the Odeon across the road - no chance.

I spent much of my childhood following power stations around the country - that wasn't some weird hobby, my dad built them -  hence we went up to Wylfa in Anglesey where I remember seeing 'Carry on Jack' at an over large corrugated Nissen hut in nearby Benllech, projected onto a sheet hung from the rafters.

The sails of the ships moved in the wind as the hanging makeshift screen did the same.

Then, when I returned to Bridgwater, there was the very popular Saturday morning film club at the Odeon which showed three to four hours of cartoons, shorts, British Film Foundation movies, and once - I assume by accident or malice - a Danish naturist movie.

No one blinked an eye, or anything else.

Cinema is a magical world and we're really fortunate here in Bridgwater to have not just that legacy of film but a present and future where people can get enthused, get skilled up and get involved.

There's not just the wonderful Engine Room, High Street home of Somerset film and video, which chose to move to Bridgwater out of all the places it could have located, but working with the film and media centre at the college and with the Bridgwater Arts Centre and with Scott Cinemas.

So especially lookout this May (18-19) for the 'Mayhem-Music in Film' collaboration. 

Now, a whole new generation of film producers are hitting the creative streets of Bridgwater, and this time they don't have to close down for a week and scrape out the matted cellulose gunk.