Arts Alliance Media (AAM), Europe’s leading digital cinema
company, has announced that it has reached a deal with exhibitors and
distributors in The Netherlands to transition the Dutch film industry to
digital cinema. Under the agreement, over 500 screens across the country, from
small art-house venues to larger chains’ cinemas, will be converted to digital
by Arts Alliance Media.
Cinema Digitaal is a unique not-for-profit organisation formed by
the Dutch Association of Cinema Exhibitors (NVB), the Association of Film
Distributors (NVF) and EYE Film Institute Netherlands. Operating as a central
management entity, Cinema Digitaal is in control of the digitisation project, ensuring
support for all exhibitors during the switchover. The scheme is partly funded by
the Dutch government, through a grant from PRIMA (Project Implementation ICT
Agenda) and the Netherlands Film Fund (Nederlands Fonds voor de Film), and aims
at digitising the majority of the country’s cinema screens. All independents
and circuits, with the exception of Pathe, Euroscoop and Utopolis, are part of
Cinema Digitaal. The rollout will be based on the VPF model, with AAM managing
collection and administration of VPF payments.
Under the deal, Arts Alliance Media will be the scheme’s exclusive
integrator – providing, installing and maintaining the equipment, as well as
providing VPF financing. AAM has VPF deals in place with five Hollywood
studios, and is in negotiations with the 14 member independent distributors of
the NVF to sign up to VPF agreements to finance the rollout.
Ron Sterk, Managing Director of the NVB, and
Managing Director of Cinema Digitaal, said “This agreement is the result of
sector wide effort to achieve a fast, efficient transition to digital
cinema.
We are very happy that all cinemas, multiplexes
and art-house, will be able to benefit from the advantages of digital projection.”
Michael Lambrechtsen, Managing Director of the
NVF, added “Through this scheme distributors will secure their area of
distribution for the widest possible range of both art-house and mainstream
titles in the Netherlands.
Arts Alliance Media CEO Howard Kiedaisch said “Arts Alliance Media
has always tried to make digital cinema deals that work for every exhibitor, and
the Cinema Digitaal initiative is a ground-breaking way of the industry working
together, and we’re delighted to be a part of it. The model of the industry
leading the switch to digital itself is one we hope will be replicated in other
territories.”
Giovanni Dolci, Arts Alliance Media’s Strategy & Business
Development Executive, added “It’s very exciting to see distributors and
exhibitors cooperating to achieve a joint solution, which will allow the whole country
to benefit from digital cinema. The NVB and NVF have both worked hard to reach
this agreement and we’re thrilled that they have chosen AAM to implement the
rollout. This will be a great real-life example of how the VPF model can be
viable for many different exhibitors.”
All the participating cinemas will have DCI-compliant digital
projection equipment supplied and installed by Arts Alliance Media, which will
also be upgradeable to 3D and satellite. The rollout is expected to begin during
spring 2011.
