Cinemas in Ukraine, which were closed after the Russian invasion in February, are beginning to reopen their rooms to the public, a popular refuge for residents to escape the reality of war but also airstrikes.
KINO42 in downtown Kyiv is among twenty cinemas that have reopened in recent weeks out of fifty in the Ukrainian capital. But it is the only facility that offers moviegoers an air raid shelter; this cinema is underground.
The 42-seat auditorium, four meters below street level, reopened in June, showcasing its film program, noting: “cinema shelter”. “It’s literally a movie theater because it’s in the basement.”Ilko Gladstein, one of the programming managers who posted the poster of Ukrainian classics, in a conversation with “France Presse” agency.
The cinema, which first opened in 2019, has always been underground, but until now it was only an unusual aspect of its architecture, now it has become its main attraction. “KINO42 is currently the safest cinema in Kyiv. We don’t interrupt movies during airstrikes.”he notes.
This programming manager and the film’s producer were surprised by the size of the evening crowds for films whose schedules were pushed forward to respect the curfew, which begins at 11 p.m. local time. “June is a tough month for distribution, but people are hungry for movies. There were three sessions for charity purposes and we managed to send about 1000 dollars (about 976 euros) to the Ukrainian army.welcomes. “We are comforted by the idea that we are not only entertaining people, but also doing something important for the soldiers on the front line.”he adds.
Unlike multiplexes that show big Hollywood releases, KINO42 has always prioritized Ukrainian cinema. And the preservation of the cultural identity of the country became especially important after the Russian invasion.
The cinema partnered with Ukraine’s largest archive center, the Dovzhenko Center, and increased the number of screenings from one to three per week, all of which went down a storm. Last week featured KINO42 Weird, weird and fantasticA series of animated shorts from the 1980s and 1990s. all tickets sold out three days before the show.
For Stanislav Bityutsky, a 38-year-old researcher at the Dovzhenko Center, every social or political cataclysm has an impact on Ukrainian identity. “It happened for the first time during the Maidan revolution.”He believes that referring to the deadly clashes between pro-European protesters and security forces in 2014 that led to the overthrow of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. “Today, once again, we need to redefine our identity through art”he judges.
“Another reality”.
A little across the street, the nearly century-old cinema was one of the first to reopen in Kiev. On opening night, the multi-room facility played a classic from 1965 to a sold-out audience in its 400-seat auditorium. Shadows of forgotten ancestorsSergey Parajanov.
“We wanted to support the country’s economy, but also people’s psychological well-being.”emphasizes its director Yulia Antipova, 46 years old. “Psychologists say this kind of mental decompression and the ability to escape into another reality is extremely important.”. Air attacks are a constant threat here. Khovten interrupts his films for 20 minutes when sirens start wailing and asking the audience to come to the nearest air raid shelter.
If the queue lasts longer, the screening of the film is canceled and the public can return on another day with the same ticket. The return of moviegoers is gradual. Ticket sales account for up to 30% of the war. Every time a Russian missile hits a civilian area, the crowd falls. “But the human psyche is pretty resilient, regardless. In a few days, the crowd resumes, until the next attack.says Yulia Antipova.
Source: Le Figaro
