‘Toffee-nosed’ concept?

Press, 6 October 1977, Page 3

‘Toffee-nosed’ concept?

Although the concept of an arts cinema might sound a little “toffee-nosed”, it was in the public interest to provide a place where artistic films could be shown, Mr J. R. Milligan, representing Mr Masters, told the authority. Films to be shown at the arts cinema would be of limited appeal, Mr Milligan said. It was not the first time that Masters Enterprises had applied for a licence for this

! kind of theatre — the last 11 application related to a ci- 1 ; nema in the Plaza Building. However, under the Ci-. : nematographic Films Act,! , 1976, which had come into; ■ effect since, the authority! was now obliged to grant a! i licence unless it felt that, the : films to be shown would not i meet the present requirements regarding nature and i classification, or that it was I not in the public interest to i grant the application, , he

[ said. j The new act reduced proI tection previously accorded to existing licence-holders; ; reversed the onus — for objectors to show’ that the I licence would be against the (public interest; made irrelevant the economics of the applicant and the objectors; and the act was now wide enough in ambit to consider what might be minority tastes, Mr Milligan said. More competition was now