backpack cinema

Various Schools, Kisoro, Uganda

The Great Apes Film Initiative was struggling in its efforts to bring conservation education to communities located on the edge of the Mgahinga National Park, Uganda. It was a victim of its own success, all too often turning people away from screenings due to overcrowding, with some children having to walk more than 20 miles back to their homes without seeing a single image of the mountain gorillas that live unseen alongside them. What was needed was an affordable, sustainable and eco-friendly way of bringing film to even the smallest of villages. The solution: The Pedal Powered Cinema Project.

With just two children's mountain bikes generating the energy for the screening, the cinema could be set up and dismantled by a team of two in a matter of minutes. Moreover, it was lightweight enough to be carried up to hilltop villages, yet sufficiently robust to withstand the bumps and potholes of a typical road in rural Uganda. Its carbon footprint and running costs are minimal.

Electric Pedals is constantly at the forefront of bicycle-powered innovation, but at it's core remains community. Consequently, since this project was launched, around 150,000 children and adults have been able to attend a screening, have fun and enjoy learning.