Film

For ten years, Cinemes Méliès has been bringing independent and classic cinema to the people of Barcelona. So it was with a heavy heart that film buffs throughout the city were forced to look elsewhere when there was a fire at the cinema last year. I chatted with one of Cinemes Méliès’ directors, Susana Batalla, to celebrate the cinema’s re-opening and find out what they have in store.

Susana described the impact of the fire, explaining, “We had to face the disaster and think about a new beginning, although we weren't sure that we could afford it. It took time but in the end we found a way.” She talked about the strength that they found from the encouragement that they were given: “People showed us their support and it helped a lot.”

On returning to the cinema you will notice that a few changes have been made. Susanna tells us, “We have introduced two 2K digital projectors, so we can have easier access to copies than we used to.” This will allow for a greater selection of films to be shown, however the team at the cinema are still dedicated to upholding the values of old cinema: “35mm projectors are obsolete, although we still love the quality of the image, and that's why we have kept one of those, at least for the two next years.”

The cinema’s focus will continue to be on original language and independent films. And if you’ve never been to Cinemes Méliès before, what can you expect? “Love for the cinema and for the history of the cinema, subtitled films in original version, a well studied program and prices that we try not to increase unless the other theatres do.”

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