Cinemes Girona: nothing can equal a film on the big screen
by Angelica Riva
Despite being rocked by closures and restrictions (in Catalonia re-opening began on 7 January but there is a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and seating capacity is limited to 50%), the Catalonian stronghold of quality cinema is holding out better than others against the terrible setback that the world's movie theatres have experienced during the pandemic. ComScore, the consultants who manage the collection of box office data in Spanish cinemas, records a loss for Cinemes Girona of 55% compared to 2019, considerably lower than the average for the country's other cinemas, estimated to be around 72%.
Cinemes Girona was opened in March 2010 in Barcelona, more precisely in the heart of the area bordering two neighbourhoods with strong personalities, Gràcia and the Eixample, and thanks to the renovation of one of the cities legendary 1950s and ‘60s cinemas, the Cine Moderno. The Girona's three auditoriums can seat up to 637 spectators, to whom it offers Catalonian, European and international films, dubbed or subtitled in Catalan, 22 cinema festivals every year and the screening of films and audiovisual products for children and young people, always with an eye on new offers. Since its foundation, Cinemes Girona's mission has followed precise guidelines, i.e. the safeguarding of diversity and championing of local talent. For this reason, one of its objectives is to place its odds on Catalonian cinema and/or on dubbing in this language, as happened, for example for the French film "Intocable", as well as on the pleasure of offering Asian and Latin-American productions, as well as ballet, opera and documentaries.
The key to the Girona's stamina has probably been not to depend exclusively on the great film premières or extremely commercial content from the Majors, which has in fact been interrupted by the health emergency or - if already complete - released on online platforms or postponed, as in the case of the keenly awaited "Tenet" or the remake of "Mulan". This is the opinion expressed by Toni Espinosa, CEO of Cinemes Girona, who also emphasises the importance for independent cinemas to remain "faithful to their own philosophy and their own audiences", focusing more on quality and originality than on the commercialisation of big, worldwide premières. For Espinosa the objective is to go on reinventing, so as never to be "taken for granted". Whilst, for example, "La La Land" was not screened at the Girona, as it was already showing at 17 cinemas in the Catalonian capital, "Parasite", instead, was offered when "all" it could boast of, was the Palme d'Or at Cannes, well before appearing at the Oscars.
Espinosa explains his philosophy and his position to the Spanish daily newspaper "El Paìs" as follows: "Despite everything, we must place our odds on the cinema. Digital platforms are not a threat, merely competition. They show us that we must become more attractive than they are, developing our own prerogatives, which are those of quality - both of content and of presentation - of an immersive experience and the possibility for the spectator of becoming fully involved, which is something that does not happen at home in front of a tablet." Lastly, he adds, drawing on his personal experience, "Generally I go to the cinema twice a week, to theatres that are not ours, and I have Netflix and HBO. And the experience I most enjoy is that of cinema-going." To offer enjoyment of this unique experience, Cinemes Girona is now open and screening every day up to 8 p.m., films and special content of all sorts, and greets the new year confidently and enthusiastically (as can be seen in the following video: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJgVvtEqXzG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)
In addition, subscriptions are on offer at a special price for the whole year (59 euros as against the usual 190), pre/screenings of films at only 5.50 euros (less on"Spectator's Day"), weekly screenings of Casa Asia at just 1 euro, as well as a discount of 3 euros for live opera and ballet performances and one euro for recordings. It is also possible to benefit from special promotions and competitions with prizes.
Cinemes Girona also supports the Promio initiative presented at the Seville Festival. This association takes its name from Alexandre Promio, a cameraman for the Lumière brothers and teacher of cameramen and projectionists. Promio came into being to create a Spanish network of independent cinemas with the common aim of safeguarding the cultural diversity of screenings and promoting the importance and aesthetic value of showing films in their original language, as well as the value of the cinema-going experience. The aim is also to develop screening of added content such as operas, documentaries or ballet, not traditionally associated with the movie theatre but which have gained foothold in this sector, and lastly to encourage the adoption of new digital technologies.
