A multi million pound scheme to equip cinemas across the UK with new Digital projection equipment will lead to a broader range of films being shown, it was announced today.

The UK Film Council will invest £13 million in the new technology and in return, cinemas will be asked to show more specialised, non-blockbuster, films such as British multiple award winner Touching the Void, New Zealand classic Whale Rider and the comedy Goodbye Lenin.

The UK Film Council said it was aiming to improve the distribution of specialised films which it believes have potentially wide appeal but receive a limited cinema release.

The UK is one of the most expensive countries in the world in which to release a film, according to the film council.

Digital copies can be duplicated at a substantially lower cost, allowing film companies to increase the number of film prints available to cinemas across the country.

Pete Buckingham, Head of the UK Film Council's Distribution and Exhibition Fund which is spearheading the initiative, said: "At the moment if you don't live in a major city, your film choices can be fairly limited.

"The aim of this revolutionary new scheme is to give as many cinema-goers as possible from every location in the UK the opportunity to see a much wider variety of films."

The scheme is funded by the National Lottery.

Monday August 16, 2004