£500,000 For Independent Local Cinemas To Improve Access And Facilities

Independent cinemas across the UK will be able to apply for Lottery funding to update their buildings, improve facilities and boost access for audiences with sensory impairments, the UK Film Council has announced.
The £500,000 Capital and Access Fund for Cinemas has been set up to ensure high standards of cinema facilities around the country, improve the cinema-going experience for the public, and increase access for people with sensory impairments. The fund will assist cinema operators with capital projects, particularly where the works are considered essential to the cinema’s continued existence, or of benefit to audiences that may currently be excluded such as improving access for disabled cinema-goers.
Independent cinemas (ie those in a circuit of fewer than nine cinemas) have until 30 November 2007 to apply for funding of up to 50% of the cost of the project, subject to a maximum award of £50,000.
Cinemas can apply for funding for capital projects such as:

• improving facilities at the cinema


• buying and installing new technology and equipment (including audio-description and subtitling equipment)


• converting existing buildings for use as cinemas and/or additional screens


• new build for cinemas

Improving access to the cinema experience for audiences with sensory impairments is a core objective of the Capital and Access Fund There are nearly 9 million people in the UK with some kind of hearing loss and around 2 million who are blind or partially sighted. The UK Film Council believes that provision could be much better. It is anticipated, therefore, that a significant number of awards under the scheme will be towards ‘Cinema Access Equipment’ i.e. soft subtitling and audio description kit.
This Capital and Access Fund for Cinemas builds on previous funding – the Small Capital Fund, where more than £700,000 was allocated to independent cinemas for capital projects – and the Cinema Access Programme, when £350,000 was made available for subtitling and audio-description equipment.
Peter Buckingham, Head of Distribution and Exhibition at the UK Film council said:
“We hope this funding will help small, local cinemas to remain at the heart of their communities offering all audiences access to fresh and exciting films in a comfortable environment.
“Facilities for cinema-goers with hearing and sight impairments have improved over recent years but are still too patchy, that’s why we are hoping to fund a number of cinemas to improve their access.”
(DS)