FORMER first minister Alex Salmond has called on Cineworld to "think again" and screen Angus Macfadyen's Robert The Bruce film.
Cineworld has faced a backlash for its decision not to show the movie in its cinemas – and, in one case, confusing it with Netflix film Outlaw King in its reasoning for doing so.
Salmond said the film should be "appreciated in a cinema", and urged people to back a campaign using the hashtag #ScreenTheBruce.
In an accompanying message, he said: "The French artist Paul Gauguin famously summed up the human condition thus: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?
"Storytelling is central to answering these questions. And independent cinema is really important to society in contributing answers.
"People understand who they are through the stories that represent them. The fact that this film speaks of a formative time in our country's history, understandably makes it a focus of enthusiasm. That is great to see.
"However, this is not just a film about the past. The subject matter addresses fundamental truths about what it is to be human, which were as applicable in the winter of 1306 as they are in the summer of 2019. That is why this film is so special.
"Long-held beliefs in violence and anger as the only way to change things, to make the world better, are disputed in masterful fashion in this telling of the story of Robert Bruce, King of Scots, and his heroic journey.
"Cinema is about bringing people together from all walks of life and opinions, to sit with one another and share the emotional experience.
"Too many people are isolated today, shielded behind their personal screens; shouldn't we rather encourage people to put their phones away, enjoy each other's company, and breathe in the excitement of finding out something about where we came from, about ourselves, each other and where we are going?"
SNP MSP Willie Coffey and MP Carol Monaghan have also called on the cinema chain, which has nine picture houses in Scotland, to revise its decision.
More than 1000 people have signed a petition to "formally request the movie to be shown across Scotland".
Robert The Bruce explores the early months of the outlawed leader's resistance against King Edward.
It was released in other cinemas nationwide today.
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