Open-air cinema
Organising an open-air cinema, from start to finish
The film and its rights, the permit to file, the exact time it gets dark enough, the screen size, the wind: everything that needs to be sorted before the screening, in order and with the lead times. Written by a French screen manufacturer since 1992.
Request a free quote
What you'll find here
Ten steps. The first three happen two months before the screening — those are the ones you find out about too late.
1. Finding the right date
A screening needs a pretext. Here are twelve occasions that come around every year, and what each one requires in terms of timing, capacity and venue.
January
Mayor's address
A screening instead of a speech. Night falls as early as 6 p.m.: the screening can start early, but the cold limits its duration.
February
Valentine's Day
Small crowd, late screening. Perfect for intimate settings — courtyard, garden, hotel terrace.
March
Women's Rights Day
March 8. A strong line-up, a seated audience, often under cover: a medium-sized screen is enough.
April
Spring break
Nightfall comes around 9 p.m.: the family screening becomes possible again without keeping the children up late.
May
European Night of Museums
Audience moving around, not seated. The projection serves as a backdrop: prioritize image over sound.
June
World Music Day
On June 21, night falls latest of the year: 9:58 PM in Marseille, 10:49 PM in Lille. Announce the actual time, or the audience will leave before the credits.
July
National holiday
The year's biggest crowd capacity, and the one night when the audience is already outside. Screening after the fireworks: plan big.
August
Night of the Stars
The audience watches the sky as much as the screen. Choose a location without street lighting, and a moonless night if possible.
September
Heritage Days
The monument becomes the subject. Darkness returns around 8:30 PM and evenings remain mild: the best window of the year.
October
Halloween
On October 31, it gets dark at 6 p.m. everywhere in France: it's the only date when a 6:30 p.m. screening works for children. Watch out for the cold and damp ground.
November
Commemorations
November 11 calls for archives and historical films. Almost always indoors — the inflatable screen sets up there too.
December
Christmas market
Short session, standing, on a loop. The screen works like an animation, not like a theater.
And sports
Tour de France, cup finals, major matches: these are the only daytime screenings. They cannot be projected — they require an LED screen.
Discover all the classes near you
The national outdoor movie schedule, updated every night and organized by department.
2. The film and its rights
This is the stage where projects come to a halt. It is not a formality but two separate authorisations, which have nothing to do with each other: one from the film's rights holder, and one from the authorities. You need both.
The rights holder's consent
Screening a film in front of an audience requires the consent of the rights holder. A DVD or Blu-ray bought in a store, rented, or borrowed from a media library is acquired for family use only: showing it in public is prohibited. You must go through the distributor or a company specializing in non-commercial screenings.
To find out who holds the rights to a film, the French film and audiovisual registry answers the phone at: 01 44 34 37 76.
The rule of the year, the one nobody knows
For non-commercial screenings, a feature film may only be shown one year after the date of its distribution permit. The CNC grants no exemptions. In other words: last summer's film is out of the question, and so is this year's hit.
A feature film runs 60 minutes or more. Below that, the short film escapes both this time limit and any restriction on the number of screenings — a real option for a themed evening programme.
Non-commercial screenings are not subject to the visa requirement, but the warnings and age restrictions carried by the visa still apply, and the organiser remains liable with regard to young audiences.
Source: CNC, provisions common to non-commercial screenings.
3. Permits to be filed
Three counters, three deadlines. None of them warns you if you forget.
CNC authorization
Any outdoor screening of a feature film, whether free or ticketed, is subject to it. The application is made online, one per region crossed, and must be submitted at least three weeks before the date — one month is recommended. It is processed by the regional directorate of cultural affairs, then signed by the president of the CNC.
The key point to watch: for July and August screenings, the warehouse closes in early June. In 2026, the deadline was June 10. A request sent in late June for July 14 arrives too late.
Three criteria weigh in the decision: the venue and number of screenings, the social and cultural value, and the local state of film exhibition — meaning: the effect on the local movie theater.
The SACEM declaration
It is required in advance and mandatory. Beware of the most common misunderstanding: SACEM covers the film's music, never the film itself. Its authorization in no way replaces that of the rights holder.
Space requirements
A square, a park, a car park all belong to someone. Occupying public land requires authorisation from the local council, sometimes subject to a fee, and an official order if you close a street. The CNC itself points this out: its authorisation does not exempt you from any of the formalities linked to an event open to the public.
What you are not allowed to announce
Distributor promotional material — the official posters — is reserved for commercial screenings. The announcement may name the organizer and the film title, but must remain cultural. And a free screening must not be used to promote a business or product: it is written in black and white in the cinema code.
Good news
Open-air screenings do not count toward the quota that limits associations to six paid screenings per year. They fall under a separate scheme.
Source: CNC, screening authorization request.
4. Choosing the venue
A site must be assessed in daylight, no later than the day before. Six things to check.
Clearance
Two distances to measure: the one from the projector to the screen, and the one from the front row. Too close, and the audience keeps their heads tilted up for the whole screening.
Lighting
A streetlight facing the screen ruins a picture that 10,000 lumens won't fix. Identify what can be switched off, what can be redirected, and what will stay on.
Wind
The screen works like a sail. Install it with its back to the prevailing wind, never crosswise, and leave room behind it for the guy ropes.
The ground
Grass and soil accept anchor stakes. Asphalt, concrete slabs, parking lots: ballasting is required, and it must be planned in advance — it's heavy and can't be improvised on site.
Electricity
The blower runs throughout the entire screening: it must have its own power supply, independent of the projector and sound system. If there's no power grid on site, plan for a generator and a jerrycan in advance.
Access
The vehicle must be able to get close to the site. A 10-metre screen fits in a van, but no one wants to carry it 300 metres at dusk.
5. The time when it's truly dark
The most common mistake: scheduling the screening at sunset. There are still 30 to 45 minutes of daylight left, and the image looks washed out. The screening should begin at the end of civil twilight, when the sun drops 6° below the horizon.
The table shows the actual start time on the 15th of each month for three latitudes. The gap between north and south reaches almost an hour in June — a screening announced at the same time everywhere in France is bound to be wrong somewhere.
Local time, calculated for the 15th of each month. Sunset, however, occurs 30 to 45 minutes earlier. For your exact location and for tonight, the map below does the calculation.
| Month | Edinburgh | Manchester | London |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16:55 | 17:01 | 16:59 |
| February | 17:55 | 17:55 | 17:50 |
| March | 18:53 | 18:47 | 18:38 |
| April | 20:59 | 20:47 | 20:32 |
| May | 22:09 | 21:47 | 21:27 |
| June | 23:02 | 22:32 | 22:07 |
| July | 22:44 | 22:18 | 21:55 |
| August | 21:32 | 21:17 | 21:00 |
| September | 20:07 | 20:00 | 19:48 |
| October | 18:49 | 18:47 | 18:41 |
| November | 16:47 | 16:51 | 16:48 |
| December | 16:25 | 16:32 | 16:31 |
The Weather for Your Session
When planning an outdoor screening, keep an eye on the weather: wind conditions for the inflatable screen, and the risk of rain for the audience. Check the forecast for your city at a glance—and if you're unsure about the wind, our Wind & Safety page provides the guidelines you need to follow.
Tonight
Sunset
—
Start of the screening
—
Please note: We do not screen at sunset! There is still too much light for 30 to 45 minutes. The screening begins at civil night, when the sun is 6° below the horizon—this is the “Screening Start” time listed above.
6. Equipment
Four roles, in the order in which they are decided.
The screen
It is chosen based on the number of spectators and the available clearance, not on the budget. Our rope length chart gives the size per audience capacity.
The projector
The bigger the screen, the more light you need — but the venue's ambient light matters as much as the projector's power. A dark site changes everything.
Sound
Outdoors, sound dissipates: there are no walls or ceiling to bounce it back. Sound is projected toward the audience, never from the screen alone, and you listen from the last row before opening the doors.
The source
File, disk, DCP: the format is imposed by the rights holder. We receive it in advance and play it through in full, on the equipment used for the screening, before the big day.
7. Wind and plan B
An inflatable screen holds up to 38 km/h, or force 5. Beyond that, the rule is simple and without exception: deflate it. A screen lying flat breaks nothing; a screen left standing in a gust rips out its anchors.
Monitoring the right figure
It's the gusts that decide, not the average wind. A forecast of 25 km/h with gusts of 50 won't do.
Rain
It bothers the audience long before it bothers the equipment. The question isn't the screen, it's how many spectators will stay.
Plan B
It is decided two days before, not on the evening itself: fold away indoors, postpone by one day, or cancel. And it is announced to the public at the same time as the screening.
8. The countdown schedule
Print and check off. Deadlines are not suggestions: three of them are legally required.
- D-60Choose the film and check the date of its visa: it must be more than one year old. Obtain the rights holder's approval.
- D-45Book the equipment, or the service provider. Scout the site in daylight.
- D-30Submit the authorization application to the CNC — one per region. For July and August, this application is submitted in early June.
- D-30Ask the local council for permission to use the venue, and for the official order if a street is closed.
- D-21Declare the screening to SACEM.
- D-15Announce the screening — without a distributor's poster — stating the actual start time, not sunset.
- D-7Check the forecast. Confirm the team. Verify on site the electricity and the anchor points.
- D-2Receive the film and watch it in full on the equipment used for the screening. Decide on plan B.
- Event daySet up two hours before nightfall. Inflate, anchor, adjust picture and sound, listen from the back row.
- Next dayDry the tarp before putting it away. This is the gesture that determines its lifespan.
9. The budget
Seven positions. The equipment is neither the first nor necessarily the heaviest.
- Film rights — vary according to the title, the audience capacity and whether the screening is free or paid.
- The equipment: rented for the occasion, or bought once and for all.
- Electricity: hookup, or generator and fuel.
- The team: setup, screening, teardown. Allow for the entire evening.
- SACEM.
- The event insurance.
- Communication.
We do not publish flat-rate pricing: a screening for 200 people in a park and one for 2,000 in a square do not require the same equipment. Describe yours, and the quote goes out the same day.
Prices & quotes10. Delegating, hiring or buying
Three options, and the decision hinges on the number of screenings per year — not on the price of a single screening.
You have neither the team nor the time
A screening can also be entrusted entirely: the provider arrives with the equipment, sets up, projects and packs away. That's the business of many of our clients, all across France. Tell us the location and date — we know who covers your area.
Contact usYou screen once or twice a year
Hiring remains the right answer: no storage, no maintenance, equipment checked before every hire.
Hire for an eventYou screen for an entire season
From just a few screenings a year, buying becomes a serious option: the equipment pays for itself, and you no longer depend on anyone else's schedule. This is the choice of mobile cinemas and film societies, which sometimes run thirty dates over the summer.
Mobile cinemaAll your open-air cinema equipment
From large screens to the smallest accessories, we provide everything you need for your event — whether you buy or hire.
Giant inflatable screens
From 3 to 24 metres, ultra-lightweight, inflated in a matter of minutes without the need for lifting equipment.
Turnkey packages
Screen, projector and sound all in one: a ready-to-use projection system, hassle-free.
Venue hire for an event
A one-off event doesn’t always justify buying the equipment — hire it for the duration of the event.
Accessories & sound systems
Projectors, sound systems, counterweights, covers: everything you need for a successful screening.
Open-air cinema: your questions
Do I need authorisation to screen a film outdoors?
Yes, and two rather than one. The film rights holder's authorisation, without which nothing is possible, and the CNC's authorisation, mandatory for any outdoor screening of a feature film, whether free or paid. Applications are submitted online, one per region, at least three weeks before the date.
Can we screen a film released this year?
No, not in a non-commercial screening: a feature film can only be shown one year after the date of its exhibition visa, and the CNC allows no exemptions. Short films, however, are not subject to any waiting period.
What time does an outdoor screening start?
At the end of civil twilight, i.e. 30 to 45 minutes after sunset — not at sunset. In June that runs from 22:07 in London to 23:02 in Edinburgh. Our table gives the time month by month, and the weather card works it out for your own location.
Which screen should you choose for an open-air cinema?
The right screen depends on the number of spectators and the available setback. Our screens range from 3 to 24 metres; our rope length chart gives the recommended size per audience capacity, and we help you decide based on your site.
Up to what wind speed can an inflatable screen be left standing?
Up to 38 km/h, i.e. force 5, monitoring the gusts rather than the average wind. Beyond that, deflate: this is a rule with no exceptions.
Is it better to rent or buy the equipment?
One or two screenings a year: hiring is the way to go. A whole season: buying is worth considering, because the equipment pays for itself and you no longer depend on an outside schedule. That's the calculation mobile cinemas make.
Ready to screen outdoors?
Tell us about your event — venue, audience, date — and we’ll provide you with a free, bespoke quote.