Drive-in cinema in the works

Friday 12 June 2020

A trio of local entertainment stalwarts have put forward proposals for a drive-in cinema at the Royal Jersey Showground in a bid to give islanders the opportunity to “unwind in a safe environment”.

JP Anquetil of The Wonky Factory, Stefan Rousseau of Cinestef, and Philip Burgin of Enriched Media Group have created Starlight Cinema Ltd to establish the island’s first drive-in cinema.

The trio says that their respective expertise enables them to cover all the areas necessary to make this project a success, including film sourcing and licensing, the provision of outdoor cinema and event management.

They have found local investors to back the purchase of a 12m air screen, as well as state-of-the-art projectors and a 4k video server, and are also in talks with local charities to partner with.

Pictured: The event would be hosted at the Royal Jersey Showground. (Google Maps)

The three islanders believe their idea would allow all spectators to stay safe while enjoying some entertainment. 

“With the closure of cinemas and pretty much all forms of entertainment due to covid-19 there is a requirement for a socially-distanced offering which comes naturally with drive in cinema,” JP said. 

“At a time when the world is suffering from cabin fever, any form of fun that allows people to get out of the house and unwind in a safe environment is a very positive move. Drive-in cinemas are booming during the pandemic - so much so that screen manufacturers are struggling to keep up with demand and Ofcom are fast-tracking applications for FM frequencies.”

The event would be hosted at the Royal Jersey Showground, which the trio says is perfectly set-up with ample space for over 100 physically distanced cars. 

The audio would be transmitted over FM so it could be picked up directly in the vehicles through the car stereo or with a portable device, thus removing any potential noise issues.

Pictured: Tickets would have to be booked online in advance.

Tickets - priced somewhere between £15 and £25 per car depending on the movies - would have to be purchased online as well as potential food orders. 

Upon arrival at the Showground, customers would be ushered into a queue and then into marked out spaces in front of the screen with a two-metre distance between vehicles. 

Spectators would remain in their car at all times unless to use the toilet facilities, in which case they would be asked wear a mask and use the sanitizer station upon entry. 

All of this would be managed by a professional stewarding and security company, JP assured. 

Screenings would be three to four nights a week - Thursday to Saturday - with the possibility of an earlier screening as the days become shorter.  

“With classic movies such as Jaws, Indiana Jones, James Bond, Close Encounters, Jurassic Park, ET and a tasty food offering delivered direct to your car it will provide a much-needed joyful experience,” JP said. 

“The concept also opens up many other possibilities such as comedy and screenings of concerts.”

Pictured: Vehicles will be parked two meters apart.

Proposals for the drive-in have been submitted to the Bailiff’s Entertainment Panel. While restrictions on public events are still in place, the trio are hoping the drive-in cinema will get the green light.

JP said the group were told that the panel are not accepting any new applications for large-scale events, but are still awaiting an official written response from the panel.

However, he added: "We are hopeful that in these unprecedented times this will be reviewed particularly as there are no public events currently allowed to take place and this appears to be an ideal solution for a shared socially distanced experience, sorely missed by people. 

"The time for this is now and we need to move very quickly to make this happen, which can often unfortunately be difficult in Jersey.”