African Cinemas on wheels

The problem with Africa is that bad politics affects every bit of our lives- movie watching included. There are many countries in the motherland that have closed down movie theatres for political reasons. For these unfortunate countries, however, there is ‘MobiCINE’ a new initiative that is changing the way cinema is viewed.

MobiCINE is basically cinema on motor cycles. It operates in a safe and easy manner. Each MobiCINE carried on a motor cycle in a ‘black box’ (a flight-case lodging a 1.300 lumens beamer plus a laptop). Also included in the Mobile cinema set are self-amplified loudspeakers, a 2,40m screen and a power generator plus 50 buckets used as theatre seats.

The film files that are loaded on the laptop are encrypted, and can be unlocked only by a digital ‘token’, which is prepaid by the exhibitor. Allcables and plugs of the PC and beamer are sealed, so as to prevent any unauthorized show.

Since Monday, May 9, 2011 seven mobiCINE units have cruised on the roads in Dakar with seven more to go in Bamako in June. This new development is a path breaking screening system in Africa. It is certainly offering a new way of watching films in places where all legal movie theatres have shut down.

The project has received funding from ACP Films, the Jan Vrijman Fund, and the French embassies in Dakar and Bamako.Organizers say the initiative is giving African filmmakers a chance to reach local audiences and develop a legitimate B.O. model they now lack.