CineCiutat in Mallorca: much more than just a cinema
by Samuele Paolinelli

On October 24 the 12th edition of EMIFF (Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival) held its closing ceremony.
This year again CineCiutat played its part in what is one of the fastest growing European cinema events hosting several screenings of the festival programme, which this year highlighted inclusion and cultural diversity.

CineCiutat also screened “Bastarden”, the most recent film to feature Mads Mikkelsen, the Danish actor with a special link to Mallorca, who was determined to be on the island to meet the public at EMIFF.

Collaboration with the Festival reinforces the link between CineCiutat and the local community: the cinema is loved by the citizens, who saved it from bankruptcy in 2012, and is particularly famous among the English community that lives on the Island. In fact, the cinema offers its films in the original version, as well as highlighting local productions or arthouse movies from all over the world.

Programming for demanding audiences is combined with several initiatives to promote education.

For example, a special Committee has been created with the purpose of choosing films and cartoons that can be used to support children’s education.

The cinema also provides spaces that are available to schools, which can book the cinema, request specific films and then engage their students in constructive debates.

Another audience sector to which CineCiutat pays special attention if that of children and families. For example, one Saturday a month there is the so-called CineCiutat Nins initiative and the cinema shows only cartoons and family films.

A further aspect for which the CineCiutat stands out is its attention to the theme of environmental sustainability. We know that cinemas are very energy-consuming. In fact, they obviously require large quantities of electricity to operate the projectors, as well as the lighting systems, heating and air conditioning.

For this reason, for some time now CineCiutat has started to reflect on the importance of carrying out an ecological transition of the cinema, or in any case implementing measures that can reduce the ecological footprint of its activities. CineCiutat, too, has taken some steps in this direction: since 2014 it has been sourcing energy produced from renewable sources (solar and wind). Furthermore it has replaced all the old lamps in the building with new low-consumption LED ones.

Another improvement - now ongoing - is the shift from xenon lamps to lasers: this replacement, which affects all the projectors, is expected by CineCiutat to result in significant energy saving with economic and environmental benefits, as well as better projection quality.

Another carnation in the cinema’s buttonhole is the CinemaRodat project, launched in 2020 in collaboration with Gira-Sol (a non-profit association aiming to offer job opportunities to people with mental health issues), to take screenings to various different areas in the Balearic Islands, thanks to a 100%-electrical trailer.

The next step will be the installation of solar panels on the roof, to guarantee wholly clean and renewable energy.

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this cinema is the importance given to citizenship, community and its approach to participation. In fact, around a hundred citizens are directly involved in the CineCiutat management, through a horizontal decision-making logic derived from the participatory structure that has always characterized the cinema. In addition, most of the cinema’s operations are taken care of by volunteers who, motivated by their keen interest, are involved in the various extra functions that the cinema offers, such as the education programmes or the creative labs.

In fact, only six employees have been hired. All the others are voluntary collaborators, who care about CineCiutat and share its founding values and mission. Their role, however, extends well beyond the practical management of activities: thanks to the volunteers the cinema can rely on a think tank offering suggestions and new ideas, tracing a path towards the cinema of the future.