Today, during the heyday of online cinemas, traditional venues form around themselves communities of loyal cinephile viewers, for whom going to the cinema is an opportunity to become an active participant in the “movie show”, and not just a passive spectator. The choice of options is wide: exclusive views in different formats, discussions, creative meetings, lectures, etc. The new “club” format of Moscow cinemas is implemented depending on the audience, geography and even the history of the place.
Neighborhood Club
Cinemas for Muscovites, a club for neighbors and friends – this is the formula of the Moschino chain. Its Fakel, Iskra, Yunost and others cinemas located in residential stalinkas, as well as the Zvezda retro cinema operating in the cinema-cafe format, are well known to the residents of the respective districts and are quite popular.
The history of Moskino began in 1932, when the Mosgorkino Trust of Moscow City Cinemas was formed. Today, the network, whose activities are financed from the capital’s budget, includes 13 city cinemas. Three years ago a new team came to Moschino, the cinemas began to be re-equipped, they were re-branded – a new visual image and identity were developed by the Dima Barbanel Workshop.
The location of the cinema determines its repertoire and the way it is presented to the audience, says Natalya Mokritskaya, CEO of Moschino. For example, “Zvezda”, “Torch”, “Spark” or “Youth” are known for their art repertoire – showing of auteur films, retrospectives, meetings with authors. And “Birch”, “Flight” or “Vympel”, which are located in remote areas of Moscow, are distinguished by the “family” repertoire, which is in demand among local residents.
There is also unique content – 5000 titles from the Moschino archive. As a result, the audience of cinemas can see rare pictures on the big screen, which are not shown anywhere else. Another interesting experience of the network is specialized sessions for hearing-impaired viewers (such is held, in particular, by “Moschino Tula”). For them, films are shown with special subtitles, including background sounds and music. In this format, Moschino showed, for example, Valery Todorovsky’s Odessa.
Meeting point
Cinema has always been one of the most favorite forms of leisure for Moscow residents. It is no coincidence that practically every residential area during the Soviet era had its own cinema. Today, many district cinemas, built in 1960-1980, are being transformed into multifunctional centers “Place of Meeting” as part of a project led by the developer ADG Group.
The concept is described as follows: “Meeting points” are “spaces where local residents can solve everyday problems and spend time with interest and benefit within walking distance from home.” Initially, it was assumed that by the end of 2020, after the renovation, 39 regional centers will start working, but at the moment only seven are open, this year six more should appear (Vedomosti wrote in detail about the progress of the project and its problems on February 16). Retail space in the “Meeting Places” occupy no more than 50% of each object, another 15-20% – cafes and restaurants. That is, at least 30% of the area of the premises is given away for leisure and educational components, including film screenings.
Most of the buildings under the Meeting Place project have been rebuilt in place of the former district cinemas. Their typical appearance is determined by the design code developed by the British bureau Amanda Levit. And for the individualization and memory of the place, historical signs with the names of cinemas, repeating the original samples, are responsible. “The goal of this project is to restore the historical functions of the buildings of regional cinemas,” says Grigory Pechersky, Managing Partner of ADG Group. – In many objects at the time of the beginning of the reconstruction, the film screening was suspended – in some cases, the buildings were so dilapidated that they ceased to comply with modern safety standards. And it was important for us to give people back the opportunity to watch movies within walking distance from home. ” The partner of the project developer, the Karo company, is responsible for the repertoire; however, ADG Group itself, according to Pechersky, takes an active part in defining it. The poster is formed according to the preferences of local residents.
“To choose the most important from a multitude of cultural events and turn them into a valuable and understandable experience for everyone” – this is how the Pioner cinema, which is owned by Centromobile-Pioner, owned by Alexander Mamut’s AN&N, describes its concept. According to the director of Pioneer Kirill Khovansky, now the cinema is the center of an entire ecosystem and “an emerging community of people demanding the quality of images and sound and preferring to watch films in the original language with subtitles.”
Pioneer, located on Kutuzovsky Prospekt in the building of a former children’s cinema built in 1953, was reopened in October 2009 and quickly became a popular place for connoisseurs of real cinema. In addition to the cinema, its ecosystem includes the Pioner Bookstore and the Pion restaurant. In the interior – the solemnity and gloss of the Stalinist Empire style, in the repertoire – cinema as art, in the programs – personal communication with famous figures of modern culture. In particular, meetings with Andrey Zvyagintsev, Pavel Pepperstein, Pokras Lampas and many other significant persons of the cultural landscape took place here. Pioneer publishes its own popular podcast, based on the materials of which the book Pioner Talks is being prepared for release.
Preserving the memory of the place, on Sundays “Pioneer” conducts children’s film lectures – young viewers get acquainted with the world film classics, discuss films with famous directors, animators, actors and even scientists. The cinema has only two halls with 84 seats each, but its intimacy and style make it an ideal platform for beautiful social events, premieres and special screenings.
Entry by invitation
Another important point on the capital’s motion picture is the Khudozhestvenny cinema on Arbat Square. It was opened in 1909 by homeowner Robert Albert Broksch. In 1913, the Russian film industrialist Alexander Khanzhonkov bought this building from Broksch and commissioned its reconstruction in order to increase the seating capacity and give a more modern look to the then fashionable architect Fyodor Shekhtel. The facade was decorated in a neoclassical style with antique decor, a steam heating system was installed. The foyer was made in the style of theatrical – with dressing rooms, crystal chandeliers, palms in tubs, a stage. The auditorium, together with the balcony, began to accommodate up to 900 people, and the seats were also divided according to the theatrical principle: distinguished guests were located in the box, commoners – in the stalls, the gallery was set aside for students and a poor audience. Throughout its history, “Khudozhestvenny” remained one of the main film sites in the capital, but by the 2000s its fame had faded. In 2016, the same AN&N company undertook to return the dilapidated cinema to its historical appearance and breathe new life into it. The architectural concept was developed by the German bureau Merz Merz, the interiors – by the Spanish bureau Lazaro Rosa-Violan, the design and implementation were accompanied by the bureau Strelka CA.
As a result, according to Shekhtel’s drawings, the facade was completely restored, and the historical inscriptions “Artistic Electrotheatre”, “Entrance” and “Exit” are now in their places. An identical historical staircase, oak doors and stucco moldings have returned to the interior. In terms of content, the renewed “Khudozhestvenny” will function as a premiere cinema and a festival center covering the world’s film agenda. The cinema has already begun a new life – with the premiere of Renata Litvinova’s film “The North Wind” on February 6. But for regular film shows “Khudozhestvenny” is still closed.
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