UKFC backs Rural Cinema scheme
The UK Film Council (UKFC) is funding a Rural Cinema Pilot Scheme to the tune of £1.2m. The Scheme will initially run in North Yorkshire, Shropshire and Wiltshire and its neighbouring Test Valley authority – all mapped as high cinema deprivation areas according to UKFC research.
The research also shows that rural cinema operators usually use DVD projection and therefore have little or no access to new films, having to wait for the DVD release that is usually 12-16 weeks after a films theatrical release.
The Scheme will provide high quality digital projection equipment that can deliver screenings to venues across the chosen areas, thus giving rural audiences a cinema experience comparable to their urban counterparts. The new equipment will also allow operators to provide 3D screenings and live satellite events like opera, theatre and sport, beamed across the country.
Pete Buckingham, head of the UKFC’s Distribution and Exhibition Fund, said, “More people in the UK are going to the cinema than ever before, with admissions at a record high and the box office booming. But at the UK Film Council we know there are rural regions where large numbers of people are unable to enjoy films in a communal environment without travelling long distances to towns or cities.
“This new pilot scheme will bring a top quality cinema experience to the three pilot areas, so that people can enjoy the wide range of films on offer in urban areas, right on their doorstep.”
The pilot scheme will run for three years, and the findings will help plans for any future UK-wide scheme.
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