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Open Air Cinema Provides Inflatable Movie Screens to NGOs in Africa at Subsidized Rate

By on November 21, 2008 in Humanitarian, Open Air Cinema Foundation

In , movies can be more than a night out; they can be a step up. Making and watching films can change lives and empower individuals with information and ideas.

Outdoor cinema is an ideal medium for people in many parts of Africa and is growing in its use.

To show a film, they don’t have to own the land or build a building-the screens can be set up in an open field.

A provider of large inflatable movie screens, Open Air Cinema is making it possible to provide this medium for NGOs and small business owners in Africa at a discounted rate.

With the inflatable screens, projectors, speakers, sound equipment and generators everything is completely transportable.

For example, in , Open Air Cinema has partnered with the Cinema Center which has a program to showcase the talent of the brilliant local filmmakers at several locations across the country.

Meanwhile, Open Air Cinema, the world leader in outdoor cinema equipment, is announcing a humanitarian effort that includes a subsidized program to provide Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and small business owners in Africa with its inflatable movie screens to show films in an outdoor environment.

The Open Air Cinema CineBox product comes equipped with everything needed to offer NGOs a portable, durable solution to distribute information, education and entertainment via outdoor movie screens.

The systems are simple enough to set up and use for small events with a few people, yet large enough to easily accommodate gatherings of several thousand people.

“With the infrastructure challenges that are common throughout Africa, we are offering NGOs an effective and enticing new medium to deliver critical information and needed entertainment,” said Stuart Farmer, president of Open Air Cinema.

“Our inflatable movie screens and systems can be made available anywhere, even in the bush, so NGOs can now deliver consistent messages-through training films about AIDS awareness or women’s rights or an entertaining movie to help elevate the morale of those in the audience.”

Inflatable movie screens from Open Air Cinema have been used by the United Nations and FilmAid in refugee camps in and .

The screens are also used for “Hillywood,” the traveling Rwandan film festival. Movies featuring filmmakers from Rwanda and other African states are shown on the inflatable screens in seven locations over seven days.

Up to 10,000 people attend each showing. Each community has the opportunity to feature their own stories, in their own voice.

“We take our film festival to remote areas of Rwanda to bring the magic of cinema to a people who desperately need it,” said Eric Kabera, founder of the Rwanda Cinema Center.

“Many people in this region have never seen a film, and we are working to educate and inspire them and open their eyes to the world of achievable possibilities.”

“Outdoor cinema is an ideal medium for many parts of Africa,” Farmer said.

“To show a film, you don’t have to own the land, it can be in an open field.

“Everything can fit in a Land Rover including the screen, projector, speakers, a sound mixer and a generator for remote outdoor viewing.”

The Open Air Cinema subsidized program is for use by NGOs and other organizations that desire to use the cinema equipment for humanitarian efforts in Africa.

The program includes detailed training, technical support and reduced pricing for participating organizations.

To apply for the program and for more information, visit www.openaircinema.us/humanitarian.htm

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Cairo, Egypt: A Look at the Open Air Cinemas of the Past in Cairo, Egypt

By on November 6, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

Open Air Cinema in Cairo, Egypt had the capacity to foster all of this technology while providing simpler, more down-to-earth venues. Downtown alone used to host over 30 cinemas, some were regular indoor cinemas and others were outdoor, open air cinemas — also referred to as sinema seify (summer cinemas). Open-air cinemas were en vogue at the time when summer was guaranteed to be summer — before air conditioners and exhaust pipes helped dig a hole in the ozone layer. Open-air cinemas were ideal for re-runs of double bills; some even went up to three films — all in one program (usually a local film sandwiched between two foreign ones).

I remember a cinema named Paradie, long before Giuseppe Tornatore’s masterpiece Cinema Paradiso (1989) was made, located on the same street on which I used to live. It had a garden attached for children to play while parents peacefully enjoyed the show. The Karnak open-air cinema was only a few yards away where, from my balcony, I could see the audience having a great time. Those living in buildings overlooking the cinema screen were lucky enough to enjoy free shows every night. I, on the other hand, had to satisfy my curiosity each week — with each new double bill — by buying my own tickets. After each visit to the Karnak, I would spend the following days listening to the soundtrack of the film shown. Usually, by the third night I could tell what was showing on the screen at any point without seeing a single frame.

Once summer was over, and the bamboo seats were removed for renovation and repainting, these cinemas were either closed down till the next summer or were converted into roller skating rinks (all the rage back in the day) for the winter season where boys went to meet girls.

Multiplex cinemas are now vastly popular, particularly in malls where they are deliberately situated on top floors so that, on the way up on the escalators, you have no choice but to pass by as many temptations as possible framed by shop windows along the way. Once you reach your destination and settle down (with a Coke in one hand and an oversized popcorn cup in the other) you are at the mercy of an endless stream of commercials and movie trailers.

It’s odd, what we call progress.

See full story at: http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6232

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Open Air Screen Make Outdoor Film Screenings Possible on Pangea Day

By on May 10, 2008 in Outdoor Movie Events

On May 10, 2008, Pangea Day venues in , , , , London, , and will be linked to produce a 4-hour program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music. More importantly, the world will be watching as the program will be broadcast live through the Internet, television, digital cinemas, and mobile phones.

An Open Air Cinema screen was used in Kigali, during the Pangea Day event. Thousands of participants in were able to join in Pangea Day celebrations through the use of an Open Air Cinema inflatable movie screen.

“Movies alone can’t change the world, but the people who watch them can,” says event organizer Jehane Noujaim. “If you had the world’s attention for five minutes, what story would you tell?” At these screenings, Pangea provided people immediate, practical opportunities to put their inspiration to work through diverse organizations working to solve the challenges that — sooner or later — touch everyone on the planet.

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