Jimmy Deenihan, T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, has welcomed the opening night of the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield Dublin.

He said the re-opening of the landmark cinema was a credit to the determination of the new operators, Element Films, NAMA, and the Cultural Cinema Consortium (the Irish Film Board and the Arts Council), his Department, and the landlords, to find a mutually inclusive solution to secure the future of this fantastic cultural asset.

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"The Programme for Government committed to leveraging NAMA projects for cultural dividend and this was a manifest example of what could be achieved in that respect.

"This re-opening was important too, as it created badly needed jobs and generated economic activity around a cultural asset in the Smithfield and the Dublin inner city region." He looked forward to an early visit to the cinema and wished the new operators every success.

(CD/GK)