Screen Machine keeps on truckin’!

The campaign to raise £1.49m to buy a new Screen Machine mobile cinema has reached a successful conclusion.

The campaign began in September 2023 after the old cinema reached the end of its lifespan and was retired. Screen Scotland stepped in to provide funding to enable Regional Screen Scotland (RSS) to lease a temporary replacement cinema, which bought time for the RSS team to campaign and fundraise. Many customers and supporters took up our call to write to their MPs and MSPs and have given generously.

The funding has been provided by:

• Donations from the public of over £110k, including a major gift from Sir Ewan and Lady Brown
• Scottish Government awarded £500k
• SSEN Transmissions Community Fund awarded £350k
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise awarded £350k
• Anne Duchess of Westminster’s Fund awarded £150k
• Other trusts and foundations awarded £35k

The team at Regional Screen Scotland was able to lower its initial target from £1.7m to £1.49m thanks to good negotiations with suppliers, efficiencies in running the project and a favourable foreign exchange rate – the new Screen Machine is being built in France by Europe’s leading builder of mobile cinemas. Delivery is expected in June 2026 and the service to resume the following month.

Simon Drysdale, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Regional Screen Scotland, said:

“The colossal joint effort from our supporters to raise £1.49m has been humbling. We sincerely thank everyone who got involved, whether you wrote to your MSP, dropped some change into our collection bucket or held a fundraising event. Our next challenges are to ensure successful completion of the build and to set up a resilience fund for upgrades, maintenance and repairs to the new cinema.”

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said:

“The Screen Machine service has been an iconic part of rural and island life in Scotland for more than 26 years and I’m delighted that the campaign to save it has been successful.

“The Scottish Government is proud to have contributed £500,000 towards the purchase of a new mobile cinema that will continue this service along our ferry network and rural roads for many years to come.”

David Smith, Director of Screen at Screen Scotland, said:

“When the much-loved previous Screen Machine reached the end of its life, Screen Scotland provided the support to lease a temporary mobile cinema to ensure communities across Scotland continued to have access to big-screen experiences while the RSS team fundraised tirelessly for a replacement. It’s fantastic to see them raise so much support that they can now commission the new Screen Machine.

“Reaching this milestone is testament to their grit and determination, and to the passion of audiences and communities who value the service so deeply. We can’t wait to see the new Screen Machine taking to the road and continuing this much-loved service for many years to come.”

Kate Williams, Manager of Anne Duchess of Westminster’s Fund, said:

“We’re delighted to support Regional Screen Scotland’s commissioning of a new Screen Machine to enable them to continue to bring cinema to the Highlands and Islands— offering not just films, but a vital cultural and social hub that cultivates joy, connection and shared experience in remote communities.”

Photo credit: Kevan Jamieson. Our thanks to our audience in Golspie for attending and posing for the photo.