Because of 85,000 euros: Saxony prevents culture in rural areas and cuts funding for mobile cinema

Nothing wrong with a chat over a beer at the gas station in economically underdeveloped areas. Apart from this leisure activity, there's no other cultural offering in many rural communities in Saxony that's as cheap as a mobile cinema. It's a tried-and-tested practice: Pack a screen, projector, and the hard drive with the film into the car, set up chairs in the community hall, and gather people together.

It's not quite that simple, after all. To get people to come, you need local contacts; it's good if people know each other. It's even better if the film offerings are curated and tailored to the respective audience—and different from what you see on streaming platforms or linear television . Charging admission isn't such a great idea if you want to reach people who are counting every penny.

Meager post, fatal consequences

The Film.Land.Sachsen project has been realizing film screenings in rural areas since 2019, with a recent annual budget of €120,000. Now the funding has been cut from the state government 's draft budget for 2025/26. €85,000 would also be enough, said the Saxony Film Association, which supports the project. But now it's down to zero. The budget hasn't been approved yet, but will the members of parliament reopen the debate over this meager item?

But they should! Because the consequences would be anything but meager. A "valued colleague" has already had to leave the small team, Film.Land.Sachsen wrote in a press release . The cancellation of funding means "that all events must be suspended immediately, and we can only act as cooperation partners without financial flexibility. If nothing changes to the draft budget, it will be over for good as of July." This is also painful, he added, "because it means the loss of painstakingly built structures, networks, experience, and expertise."

There are similar projects in other federal states, such as the Ecofilm Tour in Brandenburg or smaller forays into rural areas organized by various festivals. The people involved in these projects don't do it for money or career advancement, but often with passion, because they understand the meaningfulness of their work.

They don't even have to use terms that many people immediately associate with clichés: dialogue, diversity, low-threshold access, cultural and democratic education. Because they have a clear understanding of how it works in practice. When old and young people meet, be they just 18 or three, and spend an evening through film learning a little more about the world, but above all, getting to know each other a little better. If I were a cultural politician, I would also provide Film.Land.Sachsen with a case of rhubarb spritzer and a case of beer for every event.