Have you ever imagined what it would be like to watch a film in a drive-in ice
cinema? Well, believe it or not, that’s exactly what I did last week in Kautokeino,
Norway. Kautokeino is a small town about 450 km north of the Arctic Circle, so it’s
not exactly the typical warm and sunny holiday destination. Temperatures rarely rise
above zero in winter, so the snow never melts. However, people have started
queuing up to see films in the new drive-in ice cinema! “We wanted to create a
different film experience,” says Håkon Issát Vars, director of the Sami Film Festival.
“The entire cinema is made from ice and snow.We’ve built a snow amphitheatre with
reindeer skins to sit on, and the actual screen is made from ice, too.”
As most of the people here use snowmobiles, visitors can drive in on their
snowmobiles. Not surprisingly, ice cream isn’t on sale, but people can treat
themselves to a lovely hot chocolate and a local snack of dried reindeer meat instead.
If you want to enjoy two hours under the Arctic night sky, then Kautokeino is just
the place. Pack some warm clothes and check it out. Trust me! I have been staying
here for a week now and I haven’t had enough yet.