The educational programme shown in the cinema focuses on igniting children’s love for reading, but also provides them with a fun cinema experience. Hente van den Boom, Manager of Bollebozen, Girls in Tech & Charity, said: “We are incredibly proud of our collaboration with Cinekid. With the help of this amazing cinema, we can give children easy access to culture, film, and the Bollebozen programme. We hope this first tour is just the beginning of a journey to many more places, where we can reach children all across the Netherlands.”

Films and storytelling with Iven Cudogham
The inflatable cinema will show a specially curated programme developed by Bollebozen and Cinekid experts for children in grades 1 to 4. They will enjoy two episodes from the interactive video series Bollebozen Boekenbende, interspersed with the Cinekid-curated short 3D animated film Kayak (by Solène Bosseboeuf, Tiphaine Klein, Flore Dechorgnat, Auguste Lefort, and Antoine Rossi). The imaginative videos from Bollebozen are designed to spark a positive interest in reading, contributing to children’s language development. Children’s author Iven Cudogham will host the show, guiding the children into the worlds of Anansi the Spider (Watch Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drkftv8nPmc)) and Sinterklaas (Watch Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izU9YX5PYvw)) in collaboration with the Club van Sinterklaas.

Cinekid Inflatable Cinema on Tour
The cinema will visit ten schools in cities including Arnhem, Almere, Den Bosch, Dordrecht, and Zwolle over the coming weeks. The Monchyschool in the Arnhem district of Malburgen was the first to host the event. “What a special day,” said Jeffrey Scholze, Director of De Monchyschool, enthusiastically. “The children were in awe of the inflatable cinema, and the films really had an impact: everyone participated with great enthusiasm and there was a lot of laughter. It is crucial that every child, regardless of their background, gets the opportunity to experience the magic and power of stories, whether through books or films. Thanks to the collaboration between Bollebozen and Cinekid, the children today were able to enjoy something truly special.”

Bollebozen Boekenbende
Bollebozen, an initiative from bol, has been dedicated for years to creating equal opportunities for children in the Netherlands and Belgium. Previous collaborations have included partnerships with Stichting Jarige Job and JINC in both countries. This year, Bollebozen is donating 441,000 books to schools affiliated with the Jeugdeducatiefonds. In June this year, the Bollebozen Boekenbende was launched on YouTube, an interactive video series designed to enhance children’s love of reading. Episode 1 focuses on the book Anansi the Spider by Iven Cudogham, episode 2 on The No-horn by Marc-Uwe Kling, and episode 3 on Sinterklaas in collaboration with the Club van Sinterklaas. Episode 4 will be released in December, covering The Knight Without Bottoms by Levina van Teunenbroek.

Photo credits: Liselore Tempel