INTRODUCTION

For the past ten years I have been running a project known as Solar Cinema - The Groovy Movie Picture House. This is the World's First Mobile Solar Powered Cinema.
We began the project as a reaction to the complete lack of provision for screening independent and underground film at arts festivals. Over the years we have built the venue into a fully featured, high quality mobile cinema, which tours a wide range of outdoor events around the UK and Europe. We are dedicated to promoting the work of film makers at all levels, and have inspired many potential filmmakers to have a go. Our cinema is quirky, cosy, comfortable, informal, intimate and friendly. We provide the ideal space to road test films in front of a receptive festival audience - including many who would not necessarily attend film festivals.
We all have a background in environmental activism, and the cinema is partly a continuation of this. From the beginning we have been 100% Solar Powered, generating all our electrical need with a large bank of solar panels. This, we hope provides a clear message to our audiences that Solar electricity is a viable option. Big, bright, exciting things can be achieved with small amounts of power and a little thought. By coincidence we have also discovered that solar energy is the ideal power source for a mobile cinema, giving us the freedom to set up anywhere, without the distraction of a noisy generator.
The Groovy Movie Picture House operates within a beautiful custom built, blackout marquee, so we can screen in the day or at night. We can comfortably accommodate up to 200 people - or squeeze in 250+ when we have a party. During the day our panels charge a large battery bank, which provides up to 20 hours worth of reserve power for use at night or in bad weather. All of our equipment has been chosen for energy efficiency, without compromising quality at any level.
The Solar Cinema operates as a low profit project. We have always been reluctant to accept corporate sponsorship. We rely on booking fees from events, and the occasional grant or donation to cover our running costs and wages. Our integrity has won us many friends over the years, and many conscientious
film makers from around the world support us by allowing their work to be screened in our unique venue, for which we are very grateful.

GREEN SCREEN INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL 2007.

To Mark our 10th anniversary, Solar Cinema, “The Groovy Movie Picture House”, announce the Green Screen Independent Film Festival.
For the past decade we have toured arts festivals around the UK and Europe, screening an eclectic mix of independent film, alternative media and DIY Video, in the World’s First Mobile Solar Powered Cinema.
We are currently accepting submissions for the Green Screen Independent Film Festival 2007. The best entries in each category will be included in our program and screened at Glastonbury Festival, Wychwood Festival, Amsterdam Landjuweel Festival, Rhythm Festival, Bestival and many more.
We are open to all genres, although short pieces have a better chance of inclusion. Our only condition is that entries are interesting and entertaining.
Categories are: Environmental, Documentary, Comedy, Drama, Animation, Music video, Alternative media, Video Remixing and uncategorizable.
Entries should be DVD or MiniDV format copies.
Contact: solarcinema@groovymovie.biz

FULL MEDIA FRENZY !!!

After ten years of underground obscurity, the mainstream press seems to have suddenly taken a shine to our project. This is probably due to the belated acceptance of global warning, and the fact that now, the state of the environment is deemed to be newsworthy. Still, it's nice to get some recognition from outside of our small pond. So far this season we have been written about in the Guardian, The Times, and Positive News. We have also featured on "It isn't easy being green" on the telly, and on the morning show of the mighty BBC Somerset Sound. We will not be appearing in the Daily Mail.

GLITTERING AWARDS !!!

In recognition of our wonderful work, we have been awarded the prestigious MISTY award for services to video activism and the alternative media. Despite stiff competition in our category, The Groovy Movie Picture House won through, and picked up our treasured MISTY at a glittering presentation ceremony in Swansea, organized by Undercurrents and the BeyondTV Film Festival. Other award winners included Schnews, and Goldie Lookin Chain

BIRD'S EYE VIEW FILM FESTIVAL

This season, we are proud to be collaborating with the Bird's Eye View Film Festival, promoting and inspiring emerging women film makers.

ABOUT BIRDS EYE VIEW
Film is the most powerful media of our time, but only 7% of film directors are women.

Birds Eye View celebrates women's vision in film. Innovative, intelligent, bold, dynamic - this is a groundbreaking initiative with a fresh perspective, launching new talent to challenge and to entertain.

"If this is what being a bird is, I'm proud to be one"
Joanna Lumley, OBE - Birds Eye View Patron

GLASTONBURY THE MOVIE

The Groovy Movie Picture House has provided underground cinema at the infamous Glastonbury festival for nearly a decade. We have also helped in our own small way with the making of Julian Temple's, Glastonbury the Movie. It is fitting, therefore that we were chosen as the venue for the film's first festival screening. In collaboration with Greenpeace, we presented this mother of all festival films at the Wychwood Festival in early June. The Saturday night crowd of over 200 packed the Solar Cinema, and was delighted to have the rare opportunity of watching the movie in its natural environment - A field full of revelers. The atmosphere was high, the volume cranked up, and all agreed that the film seemed far better here than at the cinema. This is not just a film to be watched in the dark, sat in rows, in silence. This film is a social event. I hope we did it justice.