Future of mobile cinema secured after £500,000 funding boost

The future of a mobile cinema that has operated around Scotland for over 25 years has been secured after a £500,000 funding boost.

The Screen Machine, a lorry with a cinema in its trailer, been all over Scotland touring the Highlands and Islands, Argyll and Bute and North Ayrshire, bringing the cinema experience to the more remote parts of the country.

However, the mobile cinema had experienced several breakdowns and was put out of action in 2023.

RSS had started fundraising for a permanent replacement costing £1.7m.

The Screen Machine in Glencoe Regional Screen Scotland

The business that operates the cinema, Regional Screen Scotland, has now been allocated a £500,000 grant after nearly two years of lobbying and campaigning for a new purpose-built facility.

A new mobile cinema will now be ordered with the funding, and the business can continue its year-round programme of screenings into the 2040s.

The new machine will be energy efficient with the ability to charge via solar panels and battery packs, instead of a diesel generator.

It comes after the previous 80-seat vehicle was retired in 2023 following 18 years and 250,000 miles on the road.

A leased vehicle is currently continuing the service until April 2026.

Deputy first minister Kate Forbes said: “The Screen Machine service is a hugely important asset, bringing cinema to the doorsteps of people in many rural and island communities.

“It has proved its worth over 26 years, providing entertainment that town and city residents take for granted. In doing so it enriches people’s lives and plays a part in tackling rural depopulation.

“This grant allows Regional Screen Scotland to order a new, bespoke vehicle able to use Scotland’s ferry network and negotiate our rural roads. I wish the organisation well as it continues efforts to reach its fundraising target.”

Regional Screen Scotland interim Chief Executive Simon Drysdale said: “This generous grant from the Scottish Government completely transforms our fundraising campaign to raise the money required to build a new Screen Machine. We can now plan with greater confidence for a service that will be secured into the 2040s.

“Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported our campaign so far, from Screen Scotland to the Arran Trust, customers of the Newtonmore Grill, letter-writing children in Barra and many, many more.”