Tauranga residents are delving into their kitchen cupboards and swapping canned food for movie tickets as part of the Wattie's Cans Film Festival.

From today, until November 12, people can swap any can of food for a movie ticket at Tauranga or Mount Maunganui cinemas as part of the 21st nationwide event.

Bay City Cinemas Tauranga supervisor Sarah Fitness and cinema assistant Caitlin Bradfield. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

NZ-based food producer Wattie's will then match every can donated with one of their own and all cans will be sent to The Salvation Army.

Tauranga movie-goers have helped donate more than 14,000 cans of food to charity as part of the festival, according toBay City Cinemas general manager Justin Chaney.

Justin says the company has been involved in the initiative since its Elizabeth Street cinema began operating a little more than 20 years ago.

He estimates the Tauranga cinema has donated about 500 cans for each of the 20 years it has been in business, while the Mount movie theatre has donated about 300 cans each year since it opened in 2000.

If Justin's calculations are correct, this means movie-goers have so far helped to donate 14,200 cans of food to charity.

'It feels fantastic,” says Justin. 'We've been involved for a number of years and we like to do our bit as part of the community.”

Justin says this year the cinemas have 800 seats available between the Tauranga and Mount theatres.

'So hopefully we'll get 800 cans and Wattie's will donate another 800,” he adds.

Since the inaugural festival in 1994, more than one million cans have been donated through the festival. Last year, a total of 41,882 cans were collected.

Movie screenings will begin from 5.45pm onwards on November 12 at the Tauranga and Mount cinemas.

Films showing at the Tauranga cinema are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Planes Fire and Rescue, Box Trolls, Guardians of the Galaxy and The Giver.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Planes Fire and Rescue, Box Trolls will be showing at Mount cinema.