Reg. Trib. Milano n. 418 del 02.07.2007 - Direttore responsabile: Elisabetta Brunella

International Edition No. 175 - year 15 - 28 December 2020

 
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Dear Readers,

Elisabetta BrunellaHere is another DGT, published on a significant date, 28 December.

One hundred and twenty-five years ago, in Paris, the cinema came into being, or, more precisely, the movie theatre. Impossible - in these times that have so disrupted our way of life - not to ask ourselves what the future of cinema on the big screen will be. We obviously trust that - just as it was able to contradict the opinion of the Lumière Brothers' father, who believed it "didn't have a future" - the vitality of this invention will again prove capable of surprising us, by demonstrating that enjoying a film together at the theatre continues to be an irreplaceable experience.

We are helped in our reflections on the ability of exhibitors to react to this unprecedented crisis by Géke Roelink's account in this issue, as well as by the initiative of the many Spanish arthouse cinemas that have joined forces to bring to life a new association.

Wishing you pleasant reading and a happy 2021,

Elisabetta Brunella
Secretary General of MEDIA Salles
  

If you wish to add the translation of "Europe gets together in the cinema" in your language, please send an email to yearbook@mediasalles.it

We wish you a peaceful Christmas and a better 2021, when the message that has always accompanied MEDIA Salles' work
will once again become a reality:

Vi auguriamo un sereno Natale e un 2021 migliore, in cui torni
ad essere una realtà il messaggio che da sempre accompagna
l'attività di MEDIA Salles:

Η ΣYΝ'ANTΗΣΗ THΣ EYPΩΠHΣ ΣTON KINΗMATOΓPAΦO

In de bioscoop komt Europa bij elkaar

Eiropa satiekas kinoteātros

Eurooppa yhdistyy elokuvateattereissa

Evrópa sameinast med kvikmyndum

L-Ewropa tintaqa 'fiċ-ċinema

Európa sa stretáva v kine

Europe gets together in the cinema

L'Europa si incontra al cinema

L'Europe se rencontre au cinéma

Europa möts pĺ bio

Euroopa kohtub kinos

Evropa se schází v kině

Europa samles i biografen

Europa susitinka kino teatre

En los cines se reencuentra Europa

Nos cinemas encontra-se a Europa

Europa kommt im Kino zusammen

Európa a moziban találkozik

Europa spotyka się w kinie

Evropa se sreča v kinu

Europa mřtes pĺ kino

Avrupa, sinemayla biraraya geliyor
CINEMA-GOING IN THE TIME OF THE PANDEMIC

Focus on the countries of the ex-Soviet Union

Covid has not spared the post-Soviet countries. What is the situation of cinemas in those territories? We talk about this with Oleksandr Lebediev, Chief business development officer of Asia Cinema.

Ukraine, with almost 30 million spectators a year, represents an important market in Eastern Europe.  Are there restrictive measures in place for movie theatres?

All Ukrainian cinemas can remain open, even those in the so-called red zones but they are only allowed to sell half their seats.
Cinema-going is at a low, however, partly due to the lack of new films.  At weekend 45 (November 7-8), for example, box-office closed at 400 000 dollars, i.e. 25% of the same weekend in 2019.
Founded in 2004, Asia Cinema is operating as cinema integrator in post-Soviet countries. The company has offices in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Uzbekistan, but is also working in Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia, in the fields of cinema design, supply and installation of equipment, service and warranty maintenance.

The Ukrainian government introduced the so-called "weekend quarantine" at 46, 47 and 48 weeks. As can be seen from the comparative table, this decision, intended to contrast the epidemic, has had a devastating effect on the already weak box office. Now the cinemas are working as usual with seating reduced by 50% and the situation is gradually recovering.
A hard lockdown, announced by The Government, is expected for January 8-24, 2021.

Asia Cinema operates in a great many territories. Can you give us an overview of work in cinemas?

In Belarus there are no restrictive measures but few spectators in the theatres. Uzbekistan re-opened cinemas on 7 September, with the obligation not to take more than 50% of audience capacity. But partly because of the lack of content, there are very few spectators. The same measures and the same difficulties also apply to Kazakhstan, where theatres re-opened in November.

In Georgia, a market where there are around thirty screens in operation, mostly situated in the capital, Tbilisi, cinemas are closed till 31 January.
The same situation exists in Azerbaijan where the cinemas closed from March.

Have any government measures on compensation for lack of income been introduced in these countries?

No compensation is foreseen in any of these countries.

 

THE CINEMA MARKET IN UKRAINE
Key figures



* Digital cinema/screen = a cinema/screen equipped with DLP Cinema TM or SXRD Technology
 

Georgia - Cavea Cinema
Tbilisi Mall, one of the cinemas belonging to the Cavea chain which - with its 5 theatres and 26 screens, almost all located in the capital,
Tbilisi - is the leader on this market worth around 1.3 million spectators a year. 

Belarus - Silver Screen 
The Silver Screen in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, a country where screens - almost all digital - number 150 for 9.5 million inhabitants,
who visit the cinema an average of almost once a year, bringing gross box-office to around 14 million euro. 

SHARING GOOD IDEAS TO FACE CHALLENGING TIMES FOR CINEMA-GOING

What better date than 28 December, anniversary of the first screening at the Grand Café on the Boulevard des Capucines, to talk about Promio? Jean Alexandre Louis Promio was the Lumière Brothers’ first cameraman. A Frenchman of Italian origin, he became famous mainly for his shots of Italy – in particular Venice – and of Spain. This is why the professional association recently formed by a group of Spanish exhibitors is called Promio. Starting out from the observation that there was no association equivalent to the French Afcae, the Italian Fice and the German AG Kino-Gilde, the managers of independent cinemas, committed to programming that includes quality films and focuses on cultural diversity, have joined forces. Their objective, as stated by Ramiro Ledo, President of Promio, is to give a voice to this sector and demand the attention of public institutions to the social and cultural, as well as economic, role played by it.

The member cinemas represent around sixty screens and are situated all over Spanish territory.

There follows a selection of photos showing the theatres united under the name of Promio.

(Per leggere il testo in italiano cliccare qui)
ADDED CONTENT, ADDED VALUE - THE TALK

MEDIA Salles took part in the thirteenth episode of “Lezioni di Cinema - il cinema e la televisione italiana nel mondo” (Lessons on the Cinema - Italian television and cinema in the world), the webinar that was held thanks to a partnership between Rai Cinema, the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, the Casa del Cinema di Roma and the Italian Cultural Institute in Amsterdam, which hosted the event on its direct streaming site.

Those who took part in the “Lesson” of November 27, held by the journalist Carlo Gentile (Raicinema, SNCCI) and by Carmela Callea, director of the IIC, were: Simona Martorelli, Director of International relations and European Affairs at the Rai, Elisabetta Brunella, Secretary General of MEDIA Salles, and Caterina D’Amico, cinema historian.

The objective of the meeting was to understand what is happening to television and the world of the cinema - particularly in this year of global pandemic. Elisabetta Brunella’s contribution - the only one in the “lessons” to regard movie theatres - started out from the statistical findings by MEDIA Salles regarding cinema on the big screen on 37 European markets, touching on issues such as the success of added content and the reaction of the exhibition sector during lockdown.

Click here for a summary of the full talk by Elisabetta Brunella.

For a more rapid search, click on the  title to read about the related topic.

CINEMAS AND SCREENS IN EUROPE. HOW MANY?

TICKET SALES AND AVERAGE ANNUAL ADMISSIONS

WHERE DO THE FILMS WE SEE IN EUROPE COME FROM?

ITALIAN CINEMA

NOT ONLY FILMS, BUT ALSO ADDED CONTENT

WHAT DO FOREIGN AUDIENCES EXPECT FROM ITALIAN PRODUCTIONS?

"ITALIAN SOUNDING" AT THE CINEMA, TOO?

ITALY AS A LOCATION

CINEMA IN THE MOVIE THEATRES AND THE PANDEMIC

WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR EXHIBITION?

(Per leggere il testo in italiano cliccare qui)
WOMEN IN DIGITAL CINEMA

Géke Roelink
CEO Filmhuis Den Haag

Geke RaelinkCinemas and their role bridging the gaps between groups and ideas.

As European cities grow larger and more diverse, density of cultures and opinions increases. The population is segregated along more ideological lines, often more diffuse and sometimes even explosive.

Conflicts can inspire exciting films, but we would like to keep our environment harmonious. Remember West Side Story? However beautifully depicted, both visually and musically, no one wants to be in the position of the infatuated Puerto Rican Maria or the New Yorker Tony, personifications of antagonistic communities. Society thrives on mutual understanding and respect, so that love can prevail and people can be happy. No one truly enjoys conflict.

People have deliberated on the ideal of a harmonious society for thousands of years.

According to philosopher Hannah Arendt, an ‘expanded viewpoint’ is indispensable to this goal. You have to make an effort to understand and respect the ideas and opinions of others, regardless of your point of view. Sharing resources is easier when people empathise. This remains difficult, even more so as many never interact with an asylum seeker, a lesbian, or a Kurd.

Last year I spoke to a man aged sixty or so. He had seen the Oscar-winning film Moonlight, and for the first time in his life he had been able to empathise with the love that two men feel for each other. The film had opened his heart.

It is common knowledge that Dutch citizens of Turkish and Kurdish descent don’t always get along very well. Furthermore, within the Turkish community there are conflicting views on the government in Ankara. Still, they all grew up watching the same films and despite the political differences, they share a culture. It is this shared culture that we try to highlight in our Turkish-Kurdish film festival. Nevertheless, sensitivities remain and we asked ourselves questions like: Should we invite an acclaimed director, who also happens to fervently support Erdogan?

We spent much time weighing the tensions between left and right, progressive and conservative, religious and secular while choosing the films. In the end the festival was an enormous success. Turks and Kurds of all persuasions sat side by side in the cinemas. There were some fierce debates in the fringe programmes, but importantly the mutual understanding grew.

This illustrates how cinema can help empathy grow. A better world tomorrow starts with goodwill and respect today. The benefit for society of a festival like this is priceless as it helps form connections between distinct individuals and cultures, the foundation for living and working together at local, national and global levels.

I can’t wait for the cinemas to open again.

(Per leggere il testo in italiano cliccare qui)


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Edito da: MEDIA Salles - Reg. Trib.
Milano n. 418 dello 02/07/2007
 
 Direttore responsabile:
Elisabetta Brunella
 
 Coordinamento redazionale:
Silvia Mancini
 
 Redazione: Angelica Riva 
 
 Raccolta dati ed elaborazioni statistiche: Paola Bensi, Silvia Mancini