Rural cinema revolution rolled out across the county

Cine Yorkshire has unveiled plans for a second digital cinema, three more satellite venues and a host of village halls and community centres to be showing films across the county over the coming months.

A rural film project, called Screenwaves, was set up earlier this year in response to figures that showed 73 per cent of North Yorkshire residents have not been to the cinema in the past year, with special screenings in a host of venues including Fountains Abbey and Howsham Mill near Malton - the only hydro-powered cinema in the country.

North Yorkshire has an average of 4.1 full-time screens per 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) compared to the national average of 22.3 screens per 1,000 sq km.

Emily Penn, project manager at Cine Yorkshire which was established in 2010, said: “Watching a film on the big screen or going to the theatre can be a magical experience for people of all ages, but for many communities across North Yorkshire, it has historically been one that involves costly and time consuming travel.

“Thanks to ongoing support from the British Film Institute and the enthusiasm of our many partners and promoters, Cine Yorkshire is able to deliver a fantastic programme of film and alternative content to communities right across the county.

“With more venues on board than ever, residents of North Yorkshire can look forward to an exciting programme of film and live events to keep them entertained during the long autumn evenings.”

As part of the new programme, a state-of-the-art digital projector, screen and sound system has been installed at Hambleton Forum in Northallerton as it takes up the baton from Whitby Pavilion to become Cine Yorkshire’s second digital venue, showing the latest films at the standard of a multiplex cinema.

The Screenwaves project follows on from a three-year £1.2m scheme launched last July to ensure the latest blockbusters and independent releases are easily available for isolated villages and hamlets.

It has funding until May 2012, at least, and it is hoped it could be expanded further to build on this new wave of enthusiasm for films across the county.