Concerns for future of Highlands' mobile cinema the Screen Machine
There is concern for the future of the Screen Machine as the mobile cinema which tours remoter parts of the Highlands and Islands gets set to mark its 25th anniversary later this month.
The lease of the Cinemobile will expire in April, next year, but without investment for a brand new greener mobile cinema, the service will have to be wound down.
Regional Screen Scotland (RSS) has been the operator of Screen Machine since 2008 and is seeking support from the public in their efforts to raise Scottish Government funding for the commission of a new mobile cinema.
A RSS spokeswoman said: “We need the Scottish Government to provide 50 per cent of the approximate £1.4m for a new cinema.
“This will allow us to begin construction as we fundraise the rest of the balance.
“We understand that this may come as a shock to some of our audience but we believe that with the voices of our communities behind us, we will be able to build a new cinema and continue to bring films to all of them for many more years.
The Screen Machine is due to visit Tomintoul on September 26 and 27 and then Newtonmore from September 28 to October 1.
The spokeswoman said: “Both Newtonmore and Tomintoul have been important part of our core tour for many years – our aim is that we visit each four times per year. In fact, we are planning to bring films including Barbie and Oppenheimer later this month to both communities
“Attendances at Newtonmore always average very well in comparison with the other locations that we visit.”
The Screen Machine has travelled approximately 250,000 miles.
It visits more than 40 communities each year, from Arran to Orkney, where there is little or no other cultural provision.
The service brings the latest cinema releases to local communities, offering blockbusters, independent and family films and ensuring it shows the best of Scottish cinema.
The previous Screen Machine (SM2), now 18 years old, suffered a series of faults and is no longer fit for purpose.
Screen Scotland stepped in earlier this year with the funds to lease a Cinemobile from French company Toutenkamion so that RSS could provide the service in 2023-2024.
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But the lease will end in April 2024, and without intervention, the Screen Machine service will come to an end.
It is expected to take between one year and 18 months to build any replacement.
Harriet Warman, development co-ordinator of RSS, (pictured) said: “The impact of the pandemic means that Scottish Government funding has rightly prioritised emergency and recovery funding for cultural organisations like ours.
“This has, however, pushed back our capital fundraising plans due to a lack of statutory commitment of public funds, and put annual funding at a standstill, limiting our capacity to raise funds for a new machine.
“We now need the public’s help to write to the First Minister or their local MSP, asking for Scottish Government funding to commission a new, more sustainable, greener machine, so that we can continue to provide this important service.”
RSS said the Screen Machine service already helps cut carbon emissions but a new hydrogen battery-operated mobile cinema will do much more for the environment.
The Screen Machine provides a 80-seat state-of-the-art air-conditioned mobile cinema.
It is the only full-time self-contained digital mobile cinema provision service operating in the UK.
Find out more at www.screenmachine.org.uk
