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White Horse Pictures

White Horse Pictures is the rural cinema pilot scheme for Wiltshire and the Test Valley, designed to bring a modern digital cinema experience out to audiences across the county's local areas.

Research shows that Wiltshire and Test Valley has less cinema screens for its size than the English national average, resulting in many audiences having to travel long distances to enjoy the latest cinema releases.

White Horse Pictures has secured £400,000 Lottery funding from the UK Film Council over three years, to purchase a combination of touring digital cinema standard projection equipment and high-definition Blu Ray kit, to be operated in non-traditional venues across the region, bringing the best cinema experience of the latest films to convenient locations near you.

The pilot scheme is being delivered by the White Horse Pictures consortium led by South West Screen, and comprising Wiltshire Council, rural cinema operator Moviola, The Pound Arts Centre in Corsham, The Arc Theatre in Trowbridge, Wiltshire College, the South West Group of the BFFS (British Federation of Film Societies), Salisbury International Arts Festival and Screen South.

Screenings are now underway in 28 Moviola venues across the county, at The Pound in Corsham and the Arc Theatre in Trowbridge. A new digital cinema standard touring programme will soon be visiting the Moviola Premiere venues of Malmesbury Town Hall, Melksham Assembly Hall and the Beversbrook Sport Centre in Calne, and more venues will join this tour in early 2011, including Tidworth and Larkhill army barracks.

White Horse Pictures also has a dedicated Young People’s programme which encourages young people aged 12 and above to get involved in creating and promoting film programmes that suit younger tastes.

In the future the pilot may include 3D screenings and live events, such as opera, theatre and sport satellite events beamed across the UK.

Similar Lottery-funded pilot schemes are taking place in North Yorkshire and Shropshire as part of the UK Film Council’s aims to give more audiences in rural areas immediate access to new films in high quality presentations.

White Horse Pictures is funded by South West Screen, the UK Film Council and Wiltshire Council. 

For further information, visit www.whitehorsepictures.co.uk. To find out how you can get involved across Wiltshire and the Test Valley, please contact Alex North at alex.north@swscreen.co.uk.

“We are a nation full of people enthusiastic about film and these people don’t just live in our big cities. This innovative approach is an exciting step forward in giving people who don’t have easy access to cinemas more opportunities to see top-class films, in a digital format, closer to home.

“Through this project people in rural areas could be seeing the latest blockbuster and new British films in a pop-up cinema, in the open-air, in a community centre or a town hall. Not only is this an imaginative way of making it possible for people to see a wider range of films, it’s also a great way of communities getting together to enjoy a unique cinematic experience with their friends, families and neighbours.” 
Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Communications

White Horse Pictures