Vilnius International Airport in Lithuania has put up a 5-storey-high big screen. This is part of the ‘Aerocinema – The Journey Begins’ project’, which is running until the end of May, for the Vilnius International Film Festival
Since airports are essentially shut down for the time being, the festival’s organisers saw an opportunity for a plot twist. Lonely Planet reports that organisers decided to use the empty airport as a venue to screen films.
Is this the first drive-in movie theater at an existing airport? The folks from the Vilnius International Film Festival teamed with Vilnius airport to create the Aero Cinema drive-in. This past Weds they screened #Parasite.
(Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, btw) pic.twitter.com/ukiGViQ3wW— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) May 5, 2020
Vilnius International Film Festival got creative and opened AEROCINEMA: A Drive-In Movie Theatre at Vilnius Airport, which has been closed down due to international travel restrictions. #aviation pic.twitter.com/kqrxa3vKmr
— Seth Dougins (@PilotDougins) April 30, 2020
The airport is functioning as a traditional drive-in cinema. Sound is played through car radios, and about 200 cars can enter into the screening area.
Dainius Čiuplys, head of Vilnius International Airport told Euro News that this project was a pleasant challenge. ‘We had to transform the airport apron, which is usually a restricted area, into a space open to film lovers,’ he said.
‘We were excited to contribute to a project of this nature while also using this opportunity to demonstrate how airports can perfectly combine aviation activities with events and projects of various formats,’ he added.
According to Times Live, Lithuania has already reopened open air restaurants and cafes, in addition to shops and libraries. Cinemas, however, remain closed.
An attendee told AFP that it was a strange and exciting experience going to a screening at the airport. ‘We can’t enjoy flights or cinema right now, but tonight we got both at the same time,’ she said.
Image credit: Twitter / Continuum-Ltd
