Case Studies

Screen Argyll exchange visit to Dunoon

Making enterprising connections in cinema venues

A balcony view showing people standing chatting on the theatre floor, with a stage set up in the background,

Dunoon Burgh Hall trust is a community lead cultural charity that runs a large community venue, delivering multi arts program of events and activities for local people and visitors to the area. Dunoon Burgh Trust has developed and delivered the Dunoon film festival as a central part of this program over nine additions to 2023 over this time the local audience for independent film has grown. Dunoon Burgh hall want to develop their film festival and a year round film offer including establishing a family programme. They are an organisation that we know through regional conversations. They want to show us their venue, and also the Studio Cinema and Dunoon, share ideas on programming and share what they do in their venue.

Some things that have gone well across the network:

Heritage screenings /Local archive film /Cult films with events / Local film club: programming their own films / Youth film clubs (i.e. Into Film Club in Tiree)/ Screenings for young audiences

Learning Outcomes

  • Programming for Young Audiences – Invited some other community cinemas in our area to join, including Campbeltown Picture House, to hear about their Can Film Festival, the Pyramid to hear about their work with young audiences
  • Making venues accessible on a small budget – Dunoon Burgh hall on their Dementia Screenings and sharing results of an access report done for our festival and how it can be used by other venues
  • Audience Development for Film in our region – Shared our resources for working with younger audiences, including voluntary run community cinemas joined us. The day provided a chance for peer to peer learning, to share what how to show films to rural communities and learn what support is required.

"The main issue for everyone is attendance and the cost of heating halls. Mark from the Studio Cinema in Dunoon shared the issues that they are facing as a full-time cinema with staff to pay and the awareness campaign that they are starting, to encourage audiences to use the cinema. Various options were discussed, including diversifying programmes and creating an Argyll wide campaign to tell the story of the brilliant cinemas and film activity that we have going on here."