County to host pioneering film project for rural communities

North Yorkshire is one of only three areas nationwide to be selected for the 1.2m pilot which is aiming to ensure the latest blockbusters and independent releases are easily available for isolated villages and hamlets from this autumn.

The initiative, the first project of its kind in Britain, is being overseen by the UK Film Council and will see screening equipment transported to venues including village and town halls and community arts venues.

The Government yesterday welcomed the groundbreaking project as Ministers claimed it would help bolster the British film industry, which notched up more than $4bn in box-office takings worldwide in 2008.

It is hoped the scheme, which is also running in Wiltshire and Shropshire, will attract a broader audience across rural parts of the country as well as inspiring the next generation of film-makers.

The Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Communications, Ed Vaizey, said: "We are a nation full of people enthusiastic about film and these people don't just live in our big cities.

"Not only is this an imaginative way of making it possible for people to see a wider range of films, it's also a great way of communities getting together to enjoy a unique cinematic experience with their friends, families and neighbours."

North Yorkshire, which is England's largest county covering 3,120 square miles with a population of 569,700, has a dearth of cinemas which has meant many fans have to travel more than an hour to the nearest multi-plex.

The county is served by 10 full-time cinemas, four part-time cinemas, 12 film societies and two mobile DVD schemes.

The Yorkshire Post revealed in July last year that the scheme was being planned, although Screen Yorkshire only announced yesterday that the pilot would go live from the start of October.

The project is due to run until the end of March 2013, and an initial 12-month programme will focus on creating rural hubs for the cinema equipment that can be used in village halls in the western half of North Yorkshire.

It is hoped that a hub in each of Richmondshire, Craven and the Harrogate area will be created in the first year of the scheme, to provide a screen, sound system, HD projector and Blu-ray player.

The North Yorkshire Rural Cinema Pilot Scheme, which is being backed with 400,000 of Lottery funding, is also aiming to link in with existing film societies to update their equipment.

A third arm of the project will establish a cinema in the Whitby Pavilion from early autumn, and film screenings will be incorporated into its programme over a six-month period.

Other venues due to benefit include the Northallerton Forum, the Galtres Centre in Easingwold and Selby Town Hall.

The film programmes will be drawn up with the help of experts from the National Media Museum in Bradford.

Project manager Kathryn Penny, based at the museum, said: "The whole scheme is about growing audiences in the often rural locations of North Yorkshire, and we hope to leave a legacy behind to show that there is demand for permanent cinemas in these communities."

Plans are also being considered to create a broadcast link to screen live satellite events, such as opera, theatre and sport.

A consortium co-ordinating the project is being headed by Screen Yorkshire, and also involves the community arts company, Blaize, the National Media Museum and North Yorkshire County Council.

More information is available at www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/rural