Join the Moviola Associate programme and you can run your own #communitycinema to show films for your community.
With well over 300 Associate venues, Moviola is one of the largest rural film schemes in Europe.
Our rural cinema service is made up of three elements:
- A complete cinema service for village halls and other rural venues across Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset. We are not currently taking any new registrations for this service.
- A programming and film booking service for individual rural venues and touring schemes across the UK. For more information please visit our Associate Registration page.
- Advice and guidance (consultancy) for anyone who wishes to establish their own rural cinema. Please contact us to find out more.
Moviola’s size makes it unique in the UK; and the large number of films we show and number of screenings for each film makes us attractive to film distributors who are keen for us to use their films. This gives us a special relationship with national film distributors which individual venues will find it difficult to have.
Associate Moviola membership allows community-based venues across the United Kingdom to be included on our ‘block booking’. This means that they are saved the work of contacting film distributors and making box office returns to them. Moviola also provides an unrivalled response time to queries and a friendliness of approach. Associates also benefit from having no minimum charges for most titles.
How to Become an Associate
Being a Moviola Associate means being in a network of well over 200 similar film exhibitors. Moviola is also a member of the Cinema Exhibitors Association (to which the multiplex chains and virtually all other full time UK cinemas belong.) So Associates are (through Moviola) right in the mainstream of UK film exhibition no matter how small or remote they may be. Associates can get advice from us about running shows and of course programming help based on our 12 years of success with rural audiences.
Associate Moviola venues are sent a Menu of recommended films, and an optional DVD of trailers, three times a year: In June for the season September to December; in November for January to Easter; and in March for Easter to the end of August. This allows participants to choose from the very latest film releases.
Associate Moviola members can also request free of charge a support disk for each feature film containing a trailer for the next film and an appropriate short film.
Associate Membership is free to any non profit-distributing (i.e. non ‘commercial’) group. All we require is that Associates follow the terms of service set out below, most importantly around the security of films (removing the risk of piracy which so damages the film business), sending back films on time and sending in box office returns within a week of the show date. We also ask that the majority of a group’s films are sourced through us; we do not have the resources to support one-off or occasional bookings
We offer two levels of service: GOLD and SILVER . Both have the same film hire charge (35% of box office ) and both benefit from the short films/trailers service. Put simply, GOLD service users receive all discs from Moviola, both feature film and short , while SILVER users provide their own feature film disc. In addition we charge an admin fee for each booking. These booking fees are the sole means of resourcing the service; we receive no public grant aid support for the scheme.
Moviola is a Charitable organisation dedicated to improving access to cinema for community groups, especially those in rural areas. We pride ourselves on our efficiency and our professionalism. However we are not simply a commercial body: We look for and reward a close relationship with Associates. We aim to know our venues and want them to be as successful as they can in providing an exciting cinema service for their communities.
Benefits of Moviola Associate Status
- Membership of a large network of voluntary rural cinema providers
- Access to advice on all aspects of delivering a local cinema service
- Specialist programming based on 20 years of experience of the needs of rural audiences
- Receipt of a Menu of recommended films, with optional DVD of trailers, three times a year
- Access to pre-release films not available to single venues
- Opportunity to feature on Moviola’s website and to have links to your own website
- A simple, efficient, friendly and personal film booking service
- Professional management of all aspects of relationships with film distributors
- Easy box office returns, invoicing and bill payment
- No minimum hire charges on most titles
- Free service of short films and trailers
- Access to new films specially imported to the UK by Moviola, including short films
- Association (through Moviola) with the Cinema Exhibitors Association, the UK’s professional body for film exhibition
- Ready availability of advice by email or phone and speedy response times
- Friendly, efficient and personal service from professional staff who possess a unique track record in rural and voluntary cinema
Levels of Membership
Gold
GOLD service users receive all discs from Moviola, both feature film and short.
Silver
SILVER users provide their own feature film disc.