Small venues going digital for big screen

NORTH Yorkshire film-goers fed-up with long journeys to city cinemas to see digital screenings will have the latest releases brought to them under a 400,000 project.

At present movie fans have to travel to multiplexes in places such as York or Hull to enjoy all the benefits that digital technology has brought to the big screen.

But on Thursday Whitby Pavilion wlll become the first of a number of smaller venues to offer digital and Blu Ray screenings.

The event kick-starts a programme of the latest cinema releases at the cliff-side venue. Organisers will welcome guests from the community before watching Tamara Drewe and a short compilation of Whitby footage from the Yorkshire Film Archive.

Backed with 400,000 of lottery funding from the UK Film Council over three years, North Yorkshire Digital Cinema is delivered by a consortium. At the helm is Screen Yorkshire, partnered by the community arts company Blaize, the National Media Museum in Bradford and North Yorkshire County Council.

The digital cinema standard projection equipment and high- definition Blu Ray kit will be installed in easily accessed venues across the region.

It will allow rural communities access to a modern digital cinema experience, including live opera, theatre and sport events to be beamed via satellite, without having to travel long distances.

UK Film Council chief executive officer John Woodward said: “Cinema-going expands when a broader variety of films is on offer but that has largely happened in urban areas to date. Our research showed that there’s a big appetite for the cinema in rural areas, but it’s not always being met.

“This innovative UK Film Council-funded initiative will give more people in North Yorkshire the chance to watch films in 3D, to catch some of the latest releases and to see specialist films as well as try out alternative cinema experiences like live opera and big sports events.”

The North Yorkshire Digital Cinema launch marks the start of the programme at Whitby Pavilion, the first participating venue. Subsequent venues will include Northallerton Forum, Easingwold Galtres Centre and Selby Globe Cinema.