Mobile cinema that visits 'Ross-shire' is at risk

A cinema on wheels which serves the Highlands is at risk of closing.

The Screen Machine marks its 25th anniversary this year, but the operators have said, 'whilst this is a cause for celebration, there is reason for concern.'

The service's purpose-built vehicle is currently out of action after 17 years, and at the moment they are being leased a temporary cinema by Screen Scotland, but this runs out in April 2024.

Regional Screen Scotland, the Screen Machine's operators has said that it will cost approximately £1.4m to build a new one.

Customers have now been asked to lobby to MSPs and councillors to secure funding for a new cinema.

A spokesperson for The Screen Machine said: "What we really need at the moment, more than anything, is for you to write to your MSP or the First Minister. By expressing to them the importance of the Screen Machine service, we want to unlock the funding for a deposit to pay for a new cinema build.

"Further down the line, we will most likely launch a fundraising campaign for part of the balance. But for now, if you can find the time, a letter to the First Minister would be wonderful. Thank you."

Users of The Screen Machine took to social media to show their support with the cinema, with one stating: "The service is so valuable I hope you can secure funding."

Another said: "It would be a terrible blow to Scottish rural communities to lose The Screen Machine."

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