Vilnius, 29 April: For the first time in history, a drive-in cinema has been set up in an airport apron area, where planes are usually parked, unloaded, refuelled and boarded.
Vilnius International Airport has quieted down while waiting for international travel restrictions to be lifted. The organisers of Vilnius IFF saw this downtime as a brilliant opportunity to screen films while movie theatres are closed. Each week, the film program will take the audience into another continent – Europe, Asia, North and South America.
The project is a sign of support to both the aviation and movie industries, which are going through difficult times as a result of the restrictions caused by the pandemic.
According to Algirdas Ramaška, General Director of Vilnius IFF, people are longing to travel and experience the excitement one feels at airports while waiting to embark on a new journey. “We want to create a unique experience. Going out onto an airport apron, which is usually only possible to access after check-in, is an exciting experience,” says Ramaška.
The project’s organisers have also made sure that everyone will be able to see every detail of each film, thanks to the largest screen in the Baltic States, which is roughly the size of a five-storey building. The sound system, on the other hand, has been traded in for car radios, just like traditional drive-in theatres.
“Implementing this project was a pleasant challenge for us – we had to transform the airport apron, which is usually a restricted area, into a space open to film lovers.” says Dainius Čiuplys, Head of Vilnius International Airport.
More info: kinopavasaris.lt
