LONDON – Monday 6 July 2009: The UK Film Council is launching a new pilot scheme that will bring the latest digital cinema equipment to Shropshire to give more film fans in rural areas the chance to enjoy the communal experience of cinema.
The UK Film Council has allocated £1.2 million of Lottery funding to a new Rural Cinema Pilot Scheme, which will run in three areas: Shropshire; Wiltshire and the neighbouring Test Valley authority; and North Yorkshire.* The pilot is part of the UK Film Council’s ongoing work to give more UK filmgoers better access to cinema.
UK Film Council research has shown that the biggest challenges facing rural cinema operators today are access to new releases and quality of presentation. Many exhibitors use DVD-based equipment and are often unable to screen a newly released film until 12-16 weeks after the film’s cinema release, or when the DVD becomes available to buy. Limited access to equipment of a high standard can also mean that when a film is available, rural communities are unable to enjoy the same quality of sound and image presentation available to audiences in urban areas.
The Rural Cinema Pilot Scheme will pilot high standard digital projection equipment that can deliver screenings to venues across Shropshire, giving rural audiences the chance to enjoy a modern digital cinema experience. The advanced equipment will also enable extra features such as screenings of 3D films and live satellite events, such as opera, theatre and sport, beamed across the UK.
From today, applications are invited from consortia of rural cinema operators in Shropshire to run the pilot scheme and operate the digital projection equipment in non-traditional venues across the region, such as village and town halls, arts centres and other community spaces. The consortia can be made up of a wide range of local organisations, such as film societies, independent, community and mobile cinemas, and other arts bodies.
Pete Buckingham, Head of the UK Film Council’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 areas 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 rural Shropshire, so that people can enjoy the wide range of films on offer in urban areas, right on their doorstep.”
Dr Samir Shah OBE, Chair of the Screen West Midlands board said: “Screen WM is delighted to be working with the UK Film Council on this initiative to encourage film in rural areas. We are pleased that Shropshire has been selected as one of three pilot areas for the scheme in the UK. Screen WM work across the West Midlands to support and encourage engagement with film and media and this scheme supports our strategy to engage and work closer with rural communities across our region."
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Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Services said: “I am pleased that Shropshire has been chosen as one of three areas for the UK Film Council to pilot innovative options to improve the quality and access of latest film releases to rural areas.
“The pilot scheme will run for three years, and I hope will complement the existing provision through local cinemas and social enterprise groups such as the Borderlines Festival, Flicks in the Sticks and Reels on Wheels which have done such excellent work with limited resources. The findings will aid plans for any future national scheme to help rural areas right across the country."
This latest initiative builds on the UK Film Council’s previous work to give more people in the UK the opportunity to enjoy film, including the world’s first Digital Screen Network, cinema access and capital funding schemes and film distribution funding.
Applications can be submitted from Monday 6 July 2009, and the deadline is Monday 10 August 2009.
For more information on the Rural Cinema Pilot Scheme, visit www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/rural
* UK Film Council/DEFRA research mapped areas of high cinema deprivation in England and identified Shropshire, North Yorkshire and Wiltshire (and neighbouring Test valley authority) as being under-screened.