NEAT Flicks and Chill: Community Cinema Gets a £3K Sponsorship Boost With Tasty Food and Drink PR

Mackie’s of Scotland Press releases

Cinema audience for Food and Drink PR Story

AN INNOVATIVE cinema touring scheme has sweetened the deal for movie-goers in the North-East as it teams up with one of the nation’s most loved ice cream brands.

North East Arts Touring (NEAT), a registered charity and arts organisation, sends its five portable cinema screens across Aberdeenshire and Moray so that film lovers, who might not usually get the chance, can enjoy a night in front of the silver screen.

Now, a £3,000 sponsorship from Mackie’s of Scotland will help NEAT schedule a record 150 films, in communities without a cinema, over a year.

Emyr Bell, Executive Director, said: “For 32 years, NEAT has been bringing high quality, professional arts events to community venues across the North East of Scotland.

“Our community cinema scheme, NEAT Flicks, supports a network of dedicated volunteers to show great films to their communities, providing an experience that is accessible, sociable and fun.

“We are delighted to be teaming up with Mackie’s of Scotland this year to ensure we bring the best of cinema to local halls in the area. After all, what could be a more perfect partnership than cinema and ice cream!”

The sponsorship will help support groups across the North East with the costs of running their film programme and will be launched at Daviot Village Hall in Inverurie on Friday 30th June with a private screening of Whisky Galore for invited guests accompanied by tubs of Mackie’s ice cream and a nip of local whisky from Glen Garioch distillery.

Established in 1985, NEAT launched its community cinema scheme in 2012 and it has gone from strength to strength since and are now training promoters from across the area as projectionists.


Mackie's sponsor rural art initative

Interested in finding out more? Watch the great trailer our videographer created on the NEAT Flicks Project here 


Blockbuster hits like ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Harry Potter’ accompany classics as diverse as ‘Local Hero’ and ‘Dirty Dancing’, on the programme at around 30 venues in the area.

Karin Mackie, Director of Marketing at Mackie’s, said: “NEAT are providing people in our home area a fantastic opportunity to connect with the local arts scene. NEAT film screenings are a lovely way for people to relax and enjoy a film on a big screen, with friends and family near to home and with the added social benefit of meeting others in their local community.

“We’re delighted to be supporting them in their mission and can’t wait to make it along to a couple of showings in our neck of the woods – Citizen Cone, perhaps?”

Mackie’s, who are best known for their ice cream, added another cinema favourite, popcorn to their range in 2016.

NEAT is a rural touring scheme committed to promoting high quality cinema screenings and theatre and dance productions in rural venues via a network of Volunteer Promoters and   Young Promoters.

NEAT is currently funded by Creative Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council The British Film Institute, Robertson Trust and The Gannochy Trust all working together to present the best the arts world has to offer.

The success of the project has has been welcomed by the local community and this was underlined this month when a motion was raised in the Scottish Parliament congratulating the organisation on the impact they have had.

To find out more about NEAT and this year’s programme please visit: www.neatshows.org.uk.

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