Scottish Screen commissions review of cinema exhibition strategy

Scottish Screen has announced that consultant team Inglis Todd Westbrook have been commissioned to review the support Scottish Screen provides to cinema exhibition in Scotland, to ensure that investment continues to deliver effectively against cultural and corporate objectives.
The consultants will examine the spread of cinemas, film festivals, film societies and mobile cinemas throughout Scotland, from the Central belt cities to rural areas and the islands; the changed environment in which cinemas operate and strategies for future development.
The project will provide the groundwork for updating Scottish Screen¹s successful cinema exhibition strategy which aims to keep Scotland at the forefront of cinemagoing.
Alan Knowles, Head of Operations at Scottish Screen, said: "Scottish Screen wants to ensure that audiences in Scotland have the opportunity to sample the magic of cinema in all its varied forms. To achieve this we must ensure that our funding is used in the most effective way to deliver to as wide a range of Scottish communities as possible and enhance the enjoyment to be gained from cinema going. This study will provide us with an essential guide to developing our future strategy."
Ron Inglis added: "We are delighted to be working with Scottish Screen and the cinema industry on this project. This is an exciting and challenging time for cinema. Attendances have trebled in the last two decades, there has been a huge growth in newly built cinemas and digital cinemas are about to become a reality. Now, more than ever, it is important to have a vision for this sector in Scotland."
The consultants will be talking to a broad range of cinema companies and organisations during January and February as well as with representatives from the Cinema Exhibitors Association, the Scottish Independent Cinema Association, the Scottish Arts Council, the Cultural Commission, and the UK Film Council.
The initial report is scheduled to be completed in March 2005.
(GB)