Scotland’s Mobile Cinema, the Screen Machine, is on its way back to the Western Isles, with five scheduled stops in Harris, Uist and Barra between 31 October and 12 November.

The 80-seater digital mobile cinema has been bringing film to the highlands and islands since 1998 and its temporary absence during Covid was another big miss in the islands’ social calendar.

Taigh Chearsabhagh-based co-director Andy Mackinnon plans to appear along with the screenings of Dùthchas (Home) at Carinish on Thursday 3 November, Liniclate on Saturday 5 November and Daliburgh on Tuesday 8 November, all at 5.30pm, to introduce the film and be around afterwards for any questions and discussion. It's described as a meditation on the meaning of home based on rare 8mm colour film and interviews in Berneray.

 Harris and Carinish will also have screenings of the animated feature Tad the Lost Explorer and the Curse of the Mummy, the best-selling novel adaptation Where the Crawdads Sing and comedy mystery See How They Run.

Replacing the Tad animation in Linaclate is the newly-released animation Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and Linaclate also has the chance to see the feelgood sequel Fishermen’s Friends: One and All, comedy drama The Lost King and the rom-com Ticket to Paradise, with George Clooney and Julia Roberts. The programme is rounded off with a showing of the comedy Queen of Glory.

Barra’s films have yet to be revealed, but you can find the up-to-date programme and book online via https://www.screenmachine.co.uk/calendar/ or follow latest postings on social media at https://www.facebook.com/thescreenmachine/

And it’s back for a return to Tarbert in Harris on Monday and Tuesday next week (31 October and 1 November) showing a mix of family-friendly films, including the poetry-on-screen of Dùthchas (Home).