Exhibition
This section relates to our film exhibition funding
What is the Digital Screen Network?
The Digital Screen Network is a £12 million scheme, funded by the National Lottery. It has installed 240 screens in 212 cinemas with state of the art digital projection facilities. As a result, cinema-goers are able to enjoy a far wider range of films at their local cinema and facilities for people with hearing or sight impairments have been greatly expanded.
In return for the new technology, cinemas now show more specialised films including British films such as Control and Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten; critically acclaimed independent films such as Black Gold; classics including Casablanca; and the best of world cinema such as The Lives of Others.
In 2005, around £300 million was spent on distributing and marketing all cinema releases in the UK but only £18 million, or 6%, was spent on specialised films. The introduction of digital distribution has meant that films such as these will reach around 30 million people throughout the UK with an increase in specialised film screenings of up to 75,000 in the first year alone, rising to 165,000 in four years from now. The overall number of cinema visits in the UK could be raised by up to 4 million thanks to the more diverse range of films available to audiences.
Click here for a list of cinemas who have received digital equipment through the DSN scheme.
How many cinemas are part of the Digital Screen Network and where are they?
240 screens at 212 cinemas equipped via DSN in the UK
79% of these cinemas outside of London
Region No. screens No. cinemas Award £ England - East 24 22 £1,195,740 England - East Midlands 13 12 £657,577 England - London 54 44 £2,718,011 England - North East 6 5 £284,384 England- North West 23 21 £1,188,520 England - South East 35 33 £1,709,990 England - South West 20 20 £953,850 England - West Midlands 16 14 £807,301 England - Yorkshire 21 18 £1,078,459 Northern Ireland 1 1 £47,390 Scotland 21 17 £1,004,634 Wales 6 5 £287,508 TOTAL 240 212 £11,933,364
What other support have you given to cinemas?
The UK Film Council has offered a number of other schemes to assist cinema.
In 2003, we invested £350,000 in our 3-year Cinema Access Programme – to help cinemas purchase subtitling and audio-description technologies that improve the cinema-going experience for people with hearing and sight impairments. Today, around 230 cinemas have specialist viewing equipment and it is routinely installed in new cinemas. The Cinema Access Programme also provided funds to YourLocalCinema.com (a site listing access-friendly screenings in the UK) and the ongoing funding initiative, the Film Print Provision strand, to help distributors produce fully accessible film prints. Yourlocalcinema.com contiunes to be funded by our Diversity Dept and has become the film listings website of choice for film-goers with sensory impairments.
In 2006 we allocated £800,000 through our Small Capital Fund to help smaller cinemas meet the costs of essential building refurbishments and other improvements such as disabled access.
In 2007 we made £500,000 available in 2007 through our Capital and Access Fund for Cinemas to help cinemas upgrade their equipment and premises to improve the cinema-going experience particularly for film goers with sensory impairments.
How many cinemas have you supported via the Cinema Access Programme and where are they?
78 cinemas in England were equipped with subtitling and audio description facilities via the Cinema Access Programme. 88% of these cinemas are outside of London.
Cinema Region No awards Awarded £ England - East 10 £36,953 England - East Midlands 5 £22,189 England - London 7 £22,939 England - North East 5 £20,063 England - North West 10 £40,085 England - South East 16 £68,885 England - South West 9 £35,434 England - West Midlands 10 £42,864 England - Yorkshire & Humber 6 £20,931 TOTAL 78 £310,344
How many cinemas/venues have you supported via the Small Capital Fund and where are they?
61 cinemas and mixed-art venues showing films around the UK were supported via the Small Capital Fund to help cinemas upgrade their equipment and premises to help smaller cinemas meet the costs of essential building refurbishments and other improvements such as disabled access. 95% of these venues were outside of London.
Region No. venues £ awarded England - East 5 £85,928 England - East Midlands 2 £8,879 England - London 3 £15,035 England - North East 1 £5,895 England - North West 3 £25,748 England - South East 8 £146,120 England - South West 13 £98,640 England - West Midlands 8 £82,321 England - Yorkshire & Humber 10 £130,883 Northern Ireland 1 £0 Scotland 5 £66,554 Wales 2 £22,031 TOTAL 61 £677,544
How many cinemas/venues have you supported via the Capital & Acess Fund and where are they?
57 cinemas around the UK were supported via the Capital and Access Fund for Cinemas to help cinemas upgrade their equipment and premises to improve the cinema-going experience particularly for film goers with sensory impairments. 93% of these venues were outside of London.
Region No. awards Awarded £ England - East 3 £30,250 England - East Midlands 2 £10,425 England - London 4 £8,582 England - North East 3 £12,909 England - North West 2 £23,668 England - South East 6 £9,176 England - South West 14 £73,163 England - West Midlands 6 £64,257 England - Yorkshire & Humber 8 £36,567 Northern Ireland 2 £11,550 Scotland 3 £4,872 Wales 4 £67,695 TOTAL 57 £323,604
What support have you given to film societies?
We have given over £500,000 to film societies around the UK enabling them to buy digital projection equipment.
We also fund the British Federation of Film Societies (BFFS) which represents the interests of and supports the establishment of new film societies around the UK.
How many film societies have you supported via Digital NTE fund and where are they?
88 film societies around the UK have been given over £467k support. 93% of these are outside of London.
Region Number of film societies Awarded £ England - East 7 £31,159 England - East Midlands 3 £55,767 England - London 6 £56,012 England - North East 3 £12,018 England - North West 8 £29,077 England - South East 13 £45,271 England - South West 18 £68,532 England - West Midlands 7 £31,470 England - Yorkshire & Humber 6 £34,196 Northern Ireland 2 £8,892 Scotland 7 £18,540 Wales 8 £76,802 TOTAL 88 £467,736
