Ford Transit Custom delivers cinematic experience at Cannes Film Festival

Here’s another handy use for a Ford Transit van that I bet you’ve never thought of. Yes, it really can deliver almost anything, including a movie theatre experience. In recent news, the New Ford Transit Custom brought a mobile movie theatre to the streets, making its debut screening independent films around the 2013 Cannes Film Festival in the south of France.  Film buffs were able to watch the cream of independent films as the Ford-supported “Cannes in a Van” team hit the streets in their Transit Custom movie theatre.

The “Cannes in a van” programme has been going strong for the last 6 years. Here are a few more details about this clever programme; Cannes in a Van was created by two UK film enthusiasts who had the vision of taking independent films to the Cannes Film Festival, and presenting them from the back of a Ford Transit van. The first trip took place in May 2007, and the journey has become an annual pilgrimage ever since.  As part of the mission to gain increased exposure for independent film, the group organised the first of the legendary Van d’Or film awards in 2011. For more information, visit www.cannesinavan.com.

Andy Greenhouse, Cannes in a Van co-founder, said: “Inspired independent productions like ‘82’ and ‘Taking Life’ made our 2012 Awards a special occasion, and it’s a real privilege to take films like these down to Cannes and give them much-needed exposure within the festival. We’re also really excited to have the new Transit Custom as our home for the sixth year of Cannes in a Van.”

The Transit Custom, which has already won International Van of the Year 2013 and the first vehicle in its segment to achieve a maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating, was specially prepared for its role as a four-wheeled film festival. The Cannes in a Van team’s long-wheelbase Ford Transit Custom features a 55-inch plasma screen in the load area to display the films and to make sure movie goers in Cannes could find the Ford Transit Custom cinema; roof-mounted advertising panels were created then fixed to the Transit Custom’s unique integrated roof rack system and with its distinct brightly coloured paint job (see photo above, provided from Ford's press release), it wouldn't be hard to miss.

From music, don’t forget about “Bands in Transit”, which allows new and up-and-coming bands to hire out a customised Ford Transit van for exclusive gigs that can be performed right from the back of the van, to screening award winning movies, is there anything a Ford Transit can’t do?