Last bid attempt to save the Screen Machine

The operator, which regularly visits Arran, needs to raise at least £100,000 from public funds as part of an effort to raise a total of £1.7 million to build a new mobile cinema. Without this investment the Screen Machine mobile cinema service will end.

Announcing the new campaign, Simon Drysdale, interim chief executive officer of Regional Screen Scotland (RSS), which owns and operates the cinema, said: "Today’s launch of a campaign to raise £100k from customers and supporters is intended to push potential major funders, including the Scottish Government, into action before this precious resource is lost.”

This latest campaign comes after a challenging few years for the company. In 2023, its previous Screen Machine vehicle suffered mechanical failures and became unviable to maintain. To keep the service going, RRS provided funding to lease another vehicle, Cinémobile.

Earlier this year Screen Scotland pulled the mobile cinema back from the brink once more when it provided a further £350,000 in funding. This allowed Screen Machine to extend the lease of Cinémobile until April 2026.

However, the Screen Machine team say Cinémobile is not a long-term solution and to continue its service a new mobile cinema needs to be built. Cinémobile was not designed and built to be opened and closed every few days, as the Screen Machine requires. It also cannot get to all of the communities the operator services, with the Isles of Jura and Rousay without service since January 2023.

According to Screen Machine, a new mobile cinema will take between 12-18 months to build. They aim to build a vehicle with green credentials, estimating it will produce only a quarter of the Co2 emissions compared to its SM2 vehicle. The SM2 used a diesel generator for its heat and power, its new vehicle will use rechargeable batteries that will be powered by solar panels on the roof and the truck’s alternator while driving.

As part of the campaign, Scottish actor Alan Cumming and Tide Lines, one of Scotland’s leading folk rock groups, have joined forces with RSS and advertising agency, Collective London, to create a short film to publicise the campaign. All gave their time and talents free of charge.

For more information about the campaign, or to donate, visit: www.screenmachine.co.uk/save-our-screen-machine/