THE cinema could soon be heading to the most movie-deprived areas of North Yorkshire thanks to the UK Film Council.

The county is one of three areas in the country - the others are Shropshire and Wiltshire - which has been chosen for the organisation’s new rural cinema pilot scheme.

Funded by £1.2m of lottery cash, the three-year scheme will give rural audiences the chance to enjoy a modern, digital cinema experience.

Research has shown that the biggest challenges facing rural cinema operators today are access to new releases and quality of presentation.

Many exhibitors use DVD-based equipment and are often unable to screen a newly released film until 12 to 16 weeks after its cinema release, or when the DVD becomes available to buy.

Limited access to equipment of a high standard can also mean that when a film is available, rural communities are unable to enjoy the same quality of sound and image presentation available in urban areas.

But the new scheme will involve high standard digital projection equipment that can give rural audiences the chance to enjoy a modern digital cinema experience.

The advanced equipment will also enable extra features such as screenings of 3D films and live satellite events, such as opera, theatre and sport.

Applications are now being invited from groups to run the pilot scheme and operate the digital projection equipment in non-traditional venues, such as village and town halls, arts centres and other community spaces.

The groups can be made up of a wide range of local organisations, such as film societies, independent, community and mobile cinemas, and other arts bodies.

The UK Film Council’s head of distribution and exhibition fund, Pete Buckingham, said: "More people in the UK are going to the cinema than ever before, with admissions at a record high and the box office booming.

"But we know there are rural areas where large numbers of people are unable to enjoy films in a communal environment without travelling long distances to towns or cities."

The chief executive of Screen Yorkshire, Sally Joynson, said the project would give a "fantastic boost" to the many film projects in the county.

"The arrival of state-of-the-art digital kit will take cinema into new areas, broaden the range of film on offer and greatly improve standards of presentation," she added.

For further information visit www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/rural. The deadline for applications is August 10.

* North Yorkshire covers an area of 8,654 sq km with a population of 569,700. It has an average of 4.1 full time cinema screens per 1000 sq km, compared to the national average of 22.3.