Local cinema lovers in for Cinemobile treat

Northern Ireland cinema lovers are in for a treat next month when the National Lottery, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission (NIFTC), brings Ireland’s only touring cinema to Belfast for the first time.

Belfast will start the celebrations when it launches a week of free cinema screenings throughout the province. The Cinemobile, Ireland’s unique mobile cinema, which is part-funded by the Lottery, will be parked in the grounds of Belfast City Hall on Sunday 19 September giving the general public a chance to watch one of Northern Ireland’s own movies free-of-charge.

Following this from Monday through to Friday the Cinemobile will tour Northern Ireland offering screening the movies to the general public in Castlewellan, Crossmaglen, Draperstown, Ballygawley, and Lisnaskea.

Walter Rader, chair of the Northern Ireland Lottery Forum, said: “The National Lottery 10th Birthday Touring Cinema is an excellent way to demonstrate how, through the Cinemobile, lottery funding has brought cinema to people in rural areas, and to show the tremendous contribution the National Lottery has made to Northern Ireland’s film industry."

The schedule for the day will consist of a morning, afternoon and an evening screening of National Lottery funded Northern Irish films, each aimed at a different audience. Films include 'The Honeymooners' and 'Freeze Frame', and the morning session, which is aimed at a younger audience, will round off with an animation workshop.

The Touring Cinema is one of a number of events taking place to celebrate the 10th year of the National Lottery and highlight the impact it has had on the lives of people in Northern Ireland.

The events, which include fun days, open days, walks, a circus skills competition and a cycle, will culminate in the first ever National Lottery Day, Saturday 6 November, when special celebrations will take place simultaneously in Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow and London.

Next month's week long tour is being organised by the National Lottery Promotions Unit, in conjunction with Cinemobile and the NIFTC.

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