TWO festivals of film are in the pipeline in Tavistock, as The Wharf launches a fundraising drive to take its cinema into the digital age.

At present, the arts centre uses a 35mm projecter for its regular film showings — but obtaining 35mm film is becoming harder and harder to source and Wharf owner Angela Court says time is running out for the traditional type of film screening.

She said: 'It's a problem that's been getting worse for some months now. I am trying to book films two months in advance, then I find they've changed their mind about 35mm by the time they've released their film — that's why we have had to make cancellations recently.

'There are companies like Disney that are completely closing down on 35mm. Originally we thought we had more time, but the companies seem to be tightening up a lot more and a lot faster than we had envisaged.'

Angela estimated she needed to raise around £35,000 for a digital projector and the software required to download films.

She is doing all she can to source grant funding but in the mean time, she is planning to hold two 'farewell to 35mm' film festivals, screening A selection of the most popular films the Wharf has ever shown, in the autumn and winter.

Angela said a digital capability would be a huge asset to the Wharf.

'I think it will give us a lot more strings to our bow, it should appeal to a lot of people because of the variety of major performances we will be able to download, such as famous and extremely expensive operas and ballet.

'It will be absolutely brilliant if we can get it and should bring more people to the cinema hopefully,' said Angela.

'I also want to be able to keep my projectionist in a job and retrain him so he knows how to use the digital system.

'I so want to keep local cinema here in Tavistock, for the community, for my staff and my volunteers who are absolutely wonderful.

'We will get there, come hell or high water, I am very determined about that,' she said.