Screen Machine granted ‘very, very generous’ £500k from Scottish Government
A BELOVED Highland mobile cinema, which has been under threat for the last 18 months, has been granted a “very, very generous” £500,000 from the Scottish Government to help save the service.
The Screen Machine is an 80-seat mobile cinema which brings Hollywood magic to over 40 of the most remote and rural parts of Scotland since 1998. It is the only full-time self-contained digital mobile cinema provision service operating in the UK.
In September 2023, news came that the cinema would be taken off the road due to the vehicle’s lease coming to an end. This sparked a fundraiser to save the mobile picture house, with a permanent replacement costing £1.7 million. The fierce campaign received backing from Oscar-winner Dame Judy Dench, actor Alan Cumming, politicians and local communities.
Now it has been announced that the Scottish Government has granted £500,000 to Regional Screen Scotland (RSS) — operator of the Screen Machine — to order a new vehicle. A leased vehicle is currently continuing the service until April 2026.
The new machine will be energy efficient with the ability to charge via solar panels and battery packs, instead of a diesel generator.
A spokesperson for the Screen Machine said: “This is the amazing news we’ve been campaign over 18 months for, and we could not have achieved this without the support so many of you have shown. Our deepest thanks to everyone who took the time to write to their elected representatives, donated to the campaign and given support in many other ways.
“This very, very generous contribution from the Scottish Government allows us to place and order for a new mobile cinema. But, our fundraising campaign is still ongoing as we need to bring in the balance. Please consider donating or sharing our message to help us get over the line.
“We will provide a more detailed update soon, but for now we wanted to share this wonderful news and thank you for you ongoing support. ‘Mon the Machine!”
Visit the Screen Machine’s Crowdfunding page on: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-our-screen-machine
