Digital cinemas heading to rural UK

The rural cinema initiative is being funded by South West Screen, the UKFC and Wiltshire Council and aims to bring films to audiences in remoter parts of the South West of the UK, through portable digital projection equipment.

The programme, entitled White Horse Pictures, kicks off at Malmesbury Town Hall in Wiltshire, and will include Warner Bros fantasy animation Legends of the Guardians - The Owls of Gahoole, Julian Fellowes’s From Time to Time and comedy action thriller Red, starring Helen Mirren and Bruce Willis.

It is being delivered by a consortium led by South West Screen, and comprising Wiltshire Council, rural cinema operator Moviola, The Pound Arts Centre in Corsham, The Arc Theatre in Trowbridge, Wiltshire College, the South West Group of the BFFS (British Federation of Film Societies), Salisbury International Arts Festival and Screen South.

Caroline Norbury, Chief Executive Officer of South West Screen, said: “South West Screen is delighted to be leading the White Horse Pictures consortium, which has done a great job in coming together to deliver these screenings, and we hope local residents will use and enjoy the service.”

Alex Stolz, who is overseeing the rural cinema project for the UK Film Council said: “Enabling people to get access to a wider range of films on the big screen is key for us with this project. This innovative UK Film Council-funded initiative will give more people in Wiltshire and Test Valley the chance to see new British films and cinema classics as well as the latest blockbusters.”