„Save the Big Screen” campaign at TIFF 2014

Transilvania International Film Festival will play a vital role in the „Save the Big Screen!” campaign which began at the beginning of March under the care of Romanian Film Promotion (APFR). In addition to a special section, special events and exhibitions, TIFF will host, between May 30 and June 1, the first major conference of the campaign which will bring together various factors that influence the decision making process in cinema: representatives of the Ministry of Culture, of RADEF România Film, local and county authorities, cinema managers, filmmakers and foreign guests.

„Save the Big Screen!” is focused on stopping the disappearance of various cinemas as well as on creating a network of modern digital cinemas throughout the country so that, in the next 10 years, each city with over 20.000 inhabitants can have at least one operating cinema. Now, Romania is the European country with the smallest number of screen per inhabitant. In 1990 there were approximately 450 cinemas – today, there are less than 30. 78% of the cities don't have cinemas at all.

The conference will take place on Saturday, May 31, between 10.30 – 16.00, in the presence of Marta Materska-Samek, president of the Cinema Development Foundation Bard in Poland, Tina Hajon - Head of Film Exhibition, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Ivo Andrle, founder and manager of Aerofilms, The Czech Republic. All these guests have accessed national and European funds for the rehabilitation of their cinemas or have set in motion various successful digitalization projects. Various mayors and representatives of the local authorities are expected to attend. 

Together with the guests and attendees, APFR intends to assess the situation and the concrete means of creating a network of digital cinemas and of rehabilitating the existing cinemas which could thus  become multifunctional; APFR also intends to act as mediator between the local and county authorities and the cultural managers, and to analyze the available European funds, the possible changes to the existent Cinema Law and the technical solutions for digitalization.

On Saturday, May 31, at 20.30, the audience and the guests are in for a big surprise: a screening in a very special setting – the former Film Storehouse on Maiakovski Street. The Clum town hall and ROSAL, with the support of RADEF, will soon begin the cleansing process of the storehouse which is now in ruin. At 22.00, those in attendance will watch a couple of excerpts from Alexandru Belc work-in-progress documentary about Romania's old cinemas, Cinema, mon amour. Some of the protagonists of the documentary will also attend the debates and the special screening. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session. 

On Sunday, June 1, various TIFFlocations will hosts screenings from the Cinema, Mon Amour section, films about the disappearance of various cinemas but also about various efforts of saving and preserving them. The weekend will close with the screening of The Last Remaining Seats, in the presence of its director, Mario Piperides, a documentary about two people's attempt to reopen the cinema in their village. The same topic is tackled in Cinema at the End, a film about the dying cinemas of Argentina, The Last Projectionist, about the independent British cinemas, and The Rep, about a group of young people who want to open a cinematheque in Toronto.

Between May 31 at 16.00 and June 8, Casa TIFF will host the exhibition „Cinemas, Films and Ads”. the exhibitions offers a wide range of remarkable photographs from a time when film ads meant postal cards and match boxes, photographs of old cinemas which ceased to be, and exciting ads for various films. The exhibition is coordinated by Ancuța-Lăcrimioara Chiș and Ucu Bodiceanu and it is organized by the Culture House of Cluj-Napoca and the Clujul de altădată association.

Another exhibition, „Film Poster is Not Dead”, is the result of a challenge between the Czech and Romanian art schools using as starting point the tradition of the Czech film poster. 42 film posters made by students will be exhibited between June 1 and July 1 at the Art Museum. Finding refuge and creative freedom in making commercial-free film posters, the Czech artists created, between the '60s and the ’80s, some of the most refined film posters ever. So, the question is – can this still be done today, if the artists are granted complete artistic freedom? The exhibition opens on June 1, at 11.00. The event is organized by the Czech Centre, in partnership with Terry Posters, the Art Museum, and the Art and Design University of Cluj-Napoca.

Those interested in the campaign and in the topic of cinema renovation can apply for the conference at [email protected]. 

Additional details on www.salvatimareleecran.ro.