When it opened seven months ago Liverpool's first purpose-built arthouse cinema was hailed as capturing the spirit of the age.

But problems in the construction of the £10m centre for Film, Art and Creative Technology (Fact) led to three of its four cinemas being closed in April after a ceiling collapsed.

The building was instrumental in the city becoming European capital of culture in 2008.

Fact has been forced to seek loans totalling £750,000 from its backers, Liverpool city council, the North West Development Agency and Arts Council England. The staff remain confident that once the courts resolve who was responsible for the collapsed ceiling they will be able to repay the money.

The centre's screen 1 re-opened a fortnight ago and is currently showing Calendar Girls. Screens 2 and 3 will be open again in weeks.

Eddie Berg, Fact's executive director, said yesterday that the problem could not have been predicted. "It is a blip. We have been showing films in a smaller space called the Box gallery". (Which only seats 50.)

"Inevitably it has had an impact on revenue. It is not something which is our fault - we have been let down by other people and it has had an impact on the operation of the building."

Despite the problems, he said, Fact had had fantastic support from its 2,500 members and 70,000 people had been through its doors in the first six months.

Yesterday Liverpool's thriving film industry was given a £6m EU grant to help it emulate Hollywood. The money has been handed over to North West Film. Liverpool has been the backdrop for a number of movie blockbusters, including The 51st State and The Hunt for Red October.